Google has just released a native Hangouts Chrome app for Windows and Chrome OS “to allow for a simpler, faster way to use Hangouts alongside whatever else you’re doing.”

The Hangouts Chrome app from Google is a native Windows (and Chrome OS) app, which makes it faster than the Chrome extension. Google has also given the app a chat-head like interface to make sure that your chat windows don’t take up precious space on your desktops.

Up until now, the only way to use Hangouts on any PC was to install the official Chrome extension from Google. While platform independent, the extension required Chrome to be running in the background, which in itself is a very resource intensive browser. Additionally, being a web app, it never felt as fast as a native app.

The Hangouts Chrome app also supports voice and video calls and features full Google Voice integration allowing you to receive your voicemails and messages right on your PC.