How to record Google Hangouts video call?

Thanks to the power of technology, we now don’t need to meet people in person to have a discussion or meeting. We can simply use any video chatting platform like Google Hangouts to get our job done with ease. However, along with this, another need for recording a video call has also risen. Users are in search of a Google Hangouts recorder to record their Google Hangouts session.

People may want to record a Google Hangouts session for:

Referencing it in the future.
Posting the recorded content for marketing purposes.
Sharing it later with those who could not attend.
Using the recorded content for further research and more.

Here we will have a look at five of the easiest ways to record a Google Hangouts video call across different operating systems such as Windows, Mac, Android, iOS. So let’s get started without further ado.

Recording using Google Hangouts Recorder in G Suite:

About: The very first way we will be looking at is the easiest and also the official way, using G Suite. G Suite, is a collection of cloud computing, productivity and collaboration tools, software and products developed and marketed by Google. Those who have a paid subscription to either G Suite Enterprise or G Suite Enterprise Education can record the Hangouts video call directly from inside the meeting with just a few clicks.

How to:

Join an existing meeting or start a new one.
To start a new meeting, click on VIDEO CALL and add the people you want to invite to the meeting.
If you are already in the meeting, click the three dots in the lower right corner of the screen and select Record meeting. This will start the Google Hangouts recorder.
And now, our recording has started. All the attendees of the meeting get notification about the video call now being recorded.
To end the recording, click again on the three dots and select Stop recording. All the attendees now get a notification about the recording being stopped.
Once the recording stops, it will take about five minutes for Hangouts to generate the recorded video file which in turn is saved in the meeting organizer’s Google Drive labelled under “Meet Recordings”. Alternatively, you will also get an email with the link to the recorded meeting.

Recording Google Hangouts using Screen Capture:

About: Coming to a more affordable alternative, it’s quite evident that all of us may not have access to paid subscriptions like G Suite. There’s where Screen Capture comes to our rescue.

Screen Capture is a free online tool to record and download your Google Hangouts video call without installing any third-party software. It is supported in the following browsers: Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Microsoft Edge, Opera.

How to:

Head on to https://www.screencapture.com/#other on your PC.
Click on the icons(Microphone/Sound/Webcam) that you want to record along with the video. By default, the free version contains a watermark in the recorded video.
Once you have selected the things that you want to record, click on Start Recording.
On the Share your screen dialogue box that appears, select ‘Your Entire Screen’ and check the ‘Share Audio’ checkbox and click on Share.
Finally, click on Allow to grant permissions for using the camera and microphone.
Your recording has now started. Go on to your meeting and attend it as you would normally do. Just remember not to close the Screen Capture tab or else you will lose your recording.
Click on Stop Recording to stop the recording of your Google Hangouts video.
Once the recording stops, you can download your recording by clicking on the Download button.

Recording Google Hangouts using third party software:

About: One can also record a Google Hangouts video call using offline software. Here, we will have a look at MovaviScreenRecorder.

MovaviScreenRecorder is free software to record Google Hangouts and capture the screen. However, free software contains a watermark. To remove the watermark, a paid subscription needs to be purchased.

How to:

Download the MovaviScreenRecorder from https://www.movavi.com/download-screenrecorder
Click on the video icon located in the side taskbar.
Drag and select the window size of the portion that you want to record.
Make sure that the system audio icon is highlighted in green to record the audio along with the call. You can also highlight the webcam and microphone to record your video and audio too.
Click on the recording icon to start recording. You can also alternatively press F10 on your keyboard.
Click on the stop(white square) icon to stop recording. You can also alternatively press F10 on your keyboard for the same.
The video can now be viewed with a watermark in the MovaviScreenRecorder software. Click on Export to save the video.
Browse to the directory where you want to save and hit Save.
Your Google Hangouts recording is now successfully saved.

Another option for Windows users and an option for Linux users to record their Hangout video calls is to use ScreenRec software.

About: ScreenRec is a 100% free screen recorder with no watermarks or recording limits. It can capture screenshots and videos with a single hotkey and can also share screencasts fast via a private link.

Worried about the privacy of your recordings?

ScreenRec is built on top of the StreamingVideoProvider business video platform. Your videos and screenshots are encrypted with the 128-bit AES algorithm which means that only you or people you gave the sharing link to can view them. The developers at ScreenRec don’t have access to your content.

How to:

Hit the following link to download the ScreenRec for Windows.

To install ScreenRec for Linux, open the terminal and type the following commands:

sudo wget -qO - https://screenrec.com/download/pub.asc | sudo apt-key add -
  
sudo add-apt-repository 'deb https://screenrec.com/download/ubuntu stable main'
  
sudo apt update
  
sudo apt install screenrec

Once ScreenRec is successfully installed, you will see a screen recording toolbar appear to the right side of your screen.
Click on the Settings icon and the following window should open:
As seen, ScreenRec will record the audio from the microphone along with the screen by default. To record the system audio too, toggle on the switch that says Record system audio.
To start recording your Hangouts video call, either click the video icon from the recording toolbar on the right side of your screen or press Alt+S.
Click and drag to take a screenshot or record the screen.
Make sure that the window you created by clicking and dragging completely encapsulates the portion of the video call.
Click the video icon to start the recording. By default, you will have a five-minute recording limit but it can easily be removed by creating a free account or signing in using Google or Facebook.
To stop the recording, hit Alt+S again or press the white square.
You can view your saved recordings by clicking on the gallery icon of the recording toolbar.
To save the recording to your local machine, hover over to your recording and click on Preview.
Click on the download icon to save the video locally.

Recording Google Hangouts using screen recorder on Android:

About: If you want to record your Google Hangouts video session on an android phone, then you can simply use one of the many screen recorders available on the market.

If you are using Android 10 or above, chances are you already have a built-in screen recorder.

In-built screen recorder in Android

But in case you run on versions lower than Android 10, you could simply download ADV Screen Recorder.

How to:

Head on to ADV Screen Recorder - Apps on Google Play and download the ADV Screen Recorder.
Click on the + icon and allow the permission that the app asks for.
Click on Start now.
A recording overlay is now visible on the right side of the screen. Click on the record button(green circle) to start recording.
To end the recording, hit the stop button(green square).
Your Hangouts video recording is now saved in your gallery as well as in the app.

Recording Google Hangouts using screen recorder in iOS:

About: In case you are using iOS, the process to record your Hangouts video call is quite fair and simple as you can simply use the screen recorder that comes built-in with the iOS.

How to:

Go to Settings and search for the Control Centre.
If not already in “INCLUDED CONTROLS”, tap the green plus icon next to Screen Recording to add it to the Control Centre.
Pull up the Control Centre from the bottom of the screen, and click on the recording icon.
Head on to your meeting in Google Hangouts and attend it as you would.
When you wish to stop the recording, pull up the Control Centre again and stop the recording.
You can now find the saved recording of your Hangouts video session in Photos.