Turn Yourself Into a Cat or Dog in a Google+ Hangout

While Google+ hasn’t quite become the social networking powerhouse to rival Facebook, it has refused to be idle and continues to pump out a steady stream of new features. Yesterday, Google’s product manager for their video chatting Hangouts Amit Fulay announced the latest update: Digital masks. So next time you’re video chatting with your friends, you can be a cat.

In the past, Google introduced similar digital effects in conjunction with special events. For instance, this past December users could add reindeer antlers and a bright red nose ala Rudolf. These new effects appear to be a permanent fixture of the chatting service.

There are currently four masks available: cat, dog, angel’s halo, and devil horns. To activate the masks, simply click the dog face icon above the chat window and next to the “YouTube” button. To change your mask, toggle the mask button on and off, cycling through the masks until you arrive on the one you want. This last point is a little irritating, and will hopefully be something Google improves on soon.

While surely not going to be the “killer app” that sucks away Facebook’s user base, it is a fun little toy that simply adds to the list of unique services on Google+.

(Amit Fulay via The Next Web)

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