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Google+ Hangouts lets you watch YouTube videos as a group

YouTube

Google+, video sharingGoogle is apparently keenly aware of the rising popularity of services that allow users to watch streaming media at the same time while communicating.

Google+ members now have the ability to watch a YouTube video using the service’s group video chat Hangouts feature. YouTube product manager Brian Glick announced the addition Thursday in a note.

“Just click on ‘Share’ underneath any video, and then click on ‘Start a Google+ Hangout’ in the bottom right-hand corner,” Glick writes in the note. (We’ve also included a screenshot above to provide a better visual.)

The feature may end up killing new services like Chill and Rolling.fm, which allow (or have plans to allow) people to watch embedded videos in the background.

However, unlike those services, Google+ doesn’t offer the ability for users to customize their own avatar and/or “viewing room.”

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