How To: Create & Share Your Own GIFs for Messages in Google Hangouts

While chatting in Hangouts on Android, inserting an emoji or animated sticker can instantly make the conversation more fun, but they'll eventually lose their charm, as most things do. Even if you add GIFs to your texting arsenal, things could get stale. That is, unless they're personalize GIFs you actually make yourself (the process is really simple).

Step 1: Install "Hangouts Gif Recorder"

To start creating your own GIFs, head into the Google Play Store to install Hangouts Gif Recorder from developer team Niger Studio.

Step 2: Record Your GIF

The app is pretty straightforward, so open it, hold down the big green button to record, and release it to begin generating your GIF.

Step 3: Send Your GIF

The app can take up to a couple of minutes to generate your personal GIF, but when it's ready, tap Share to Hangouts, select a contact, then hit "Send."

Although you're given multiple sharing options, like Facebook Messenger, the only stable format to share to is Hangouts, which is one of few problems with the app. Hopefully there is an update scheduled in the near future because it force-closes on occasion and takes a little too long, in my opinion, to generate GIFs.

Personally, the bugs do dampen the experience a little, but they're minor enough to overlook. Test it out for yourself and share your thoughts in the comment section below, or on our Facebook and Twitter feeds.