As of Thursday, November 19, people no longer need to have a Google account to join a meeting Hosted on Hangouts - just a link, Engadget reports.

Last month Skype did the same thing -- adding a URL-based invitation system that allows guests to join a conversation without having an account. Google's version will place the link directly in calendar-based event invitations, and give meeting organizers a chance to allow / deny entry to the guest when they try to join the meeting. It's a simple feature, but one that should make organizing video conferences a lot easier. Check out Google's official announcement at the source link below.