In what could qualify as an awesome pre-Christmas gift, Google has rolled out a massive update for Google+, which adds a whopping 18 new features to the service. Honestly, calling it an update might not really do justice, as it is more of a huge upgrade than anything else.

And hey, Google is living up to the quintessential Christmas spirit of giving, if the recent Google Maps for iOS is anything to go by, and has gone ahead and updated the iOS version of Google+ too.

Google+ was already an awesome social networking service (Sorry! Facebook) which has just become all the more fantastic thanks to Google. So without further ado, lets have a look at all the new goodies Google has added to Google+, as quoted from

Android app (v3.3):

  • On-the-go profile editing – In case you get into an Oops! situation and want to edit or just delete fields impromptu.
  • Easier way to author content – New write icon at the bottom
  • Subtle notice when there’s new stuff to read
  • Subscribe to mobile notifications from your favorite circles – You can now selectively subscribe to new posts only for your favorite circle
  • Interact with Google+ Communities on your phone or tablet – This is way too cool! Community discussions on the go! Classic time killer on a commute.
  • Animated gifs – Again, way too cool! Can do animated smileys now!
  • Locked screen widget
  • Birthday reminders in Google Now

Photo improvements:

  • Full-size backups of photos (up to 5GB free), in addition to the standard-size option (unlimited free storage at 2048px) on +Android – This happens when you turn Instant Upload on
  • Photo spheres in the mobile stream – Of course, you would need Android 4.2+ to create photo spheres, but they can now be viewed on any device which runs Android 2.2 Froyo or higher

Events: (Web Version)

  • See who opens an invite – Nice
  • Guests can RSVP with the number of people they’re bringing – Again, a nifty and well thought out feature!
  • Easily duplicate events – Convenient

Hangouts: (Web Version)

  • Hangout with just 150 KB of bandwidth
  • Automatically hide the film strip for just one user on Hangouts On Air

So there you go. If you’re still haven’t tried Google+, we must tell you that it has come a really long way since its original inception, and is more exciting, and more fun to use than the other social network. And this new update may have just tipped the scales. Good Going Google! It’s time for me to try out some photo-spheres now.

You should be seeing the familiar update icon in your notification bar by now. And if you still haven’t tried Google+, hit the link below to get the latest, updated version from the Play Store

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