2

I'm working on an app that starts a Google Hangout On Air. We do this programmatically using Javascript and the Google+ Hangouts API.

We've successfully created the button and when you click it, it properly starts a Hangout On Air.

We'd like to not have to pre-invite all the viewers but would rather share the hangout link. Once the hangout is started, it says in the upper right "Anyone with this link" should be able to join in. But it does not work. If I share the link with folks outside of the domain user that launched the hangout, they get bumped out with the message "This party is over..." and "Error: HJR: 2-RNF". I've checked my app domain settings and talked with Google support for Hangouts and no one seems to know how to fix this.

Even stranger, I've tried this with two different Google App domains. Under one domain (call this workingdomain.com), we can share the link to anyone (with no invites) and everyone can join in. Under the other domain (call it notworking.com), the hangout starts up fine, but if I share the link to folks who are not on the invite list, they cannot join in. It appears that workingdomain.com has been grandfathered into Google Apps (not Google Apps for Work), and notworking.com is paying for the Google Apps for Work subscription. That seems to be the main difference but I'm surprised that the paid version seems more restrictive than the free (grandfathered) service.

I wonder if anyone has a good way to programmatically start a public Hangout On Air - or what settings need to be set on the domain to make that work.

The button is initialized like this:

var startData = {
  sectionId: "an id for tracking",
  courseId: "an id for tracking",
  sectionGuid: "a guid tracking it",
  sectionTitle: "the hangout title"
 };
 var initial_apps = [
  { 'app_id': "our google hangout app id",
    'start_data' : JSON.stringify(startData),
    'app_type' : 'LOCAL_APP'
  }
]

gapi.hangout.render('hangout-button-placeholder', {
  render: 'createhangout',
  hangout_type: 'onair',
  topic: 'The Topic Title',
  initial_apps: initial_apps,
  widget_size: 72
});
mr rogers
  • 3,200
  • 1
  • 19
  • 31
  • It might help if you post some code snippets that may contribute to the error (for instance, your button code that creates the hangout). – Maximillian Laumeister Jul 07 '15 at 23:48
  • The API in question has shut down. https://developers.google.com/+/hangouts/support-faq – balupton Jan 04 '19 at 06:16
  • Modern version of this question is likely: https://stackoverflow.com/questions/50605116/can-you-derive-a-hangout-url-from-the-youtube-live-streaming-api – balupton Jan 04 '19 at 06:37

2 Answers2

0

tl;dr

It appears that what I want to do (create a public Hangout On Air from a domain that is subscribed to Google Apps for Work) is not possible.

the long version

If you have a domain that is was grandfathered into the Apps for Work setup on google, you'll notice on your admin/billing screen that you have "Google Apps" listed under subscriptions. When this is true, and you start a Google Hangout On Air (as with the javascript above) with no invitees, anyone with a Google account and the hangout link can join the hangout.

If you have a domain that is paying for Google Apps for Work and you start a Google Hangout On Air, the only people who can join via the link are people who are in the "invite" list. So these emails must be added when you create the hangout (either programmatically or in the "start your hangout" flow).

mr rogers
  • 3,200
  • 1
  • 19
  • 31
0

Just enable it on the Apps Domain... log in to your Apps Admin account and go to: //admin.google.com/[YOUR DOMAIN/AdminHome#ServiceSettings/notab=1&service=Chat&subtab=org

Make sure it's enabled, and also in the linked Advanced page, make sure you have right stuff selected under "Chatting outside this organization (Within the Google network)"

Additionally, you may need to make sure to go here (advanced settings) https://admin.google.com/[YOUR DOMAIN]/AdminHome?fral=1#ServiceSettings/service=gplus&subtab=general&notab=1 to ensure that you've enabled G+ Premium Features. Among those features should be the ability to do what you want... here's a Google+ for Work Features support link describing this (expand the "Additionally [...]" section).

CLaFarge
  • 1,277
  • 11
  • 16
  • We tried that. It allows chats for anyone who is on the invite list, but it does not appear to allow the link to truly be public. – mr rogers Jul 18 '15 at 19:53
  • Have you upgraded the account from free Apps Domain to paid Google Apps for Work? I edited the answer to add a paragraph on that, with supporting link. – CLaFarge Jul 18 '15 at 20:03
  • What's funny is that if you have been grandfathered in (for old apps accounts), the checkbox for "Chatting outside this org" is not available. And that's when the links are actually publicly available without an invite. If you have an account that has upgraded to Apps for Work, then the invite is required - as far as I can tell. That's basically what I wrote in my self answer here. – mr rogers Jul 19 '15 at 19:45