There is no doubt that Google’s messaging client, Hangouts, is a work in progress. Today the Gmail team announced some improvements to the platform, which should make it a little bit easier to use. The most noticeable, and welcomed, change is the return of green ‘availability bubbles’, letting you know which of your contacts are available to chat.

These bubbles were a staple of Google Chat (Gmail’s previous messaging interface), but were replaced with a much more subtle green line when Hangouts were released. Additional updates include mood statuses with new emoji icons, an improved search experience and message snippets. While this isn’t a major overhaul of the platform, there are certainly some much welcomed updates that should make the user experience that much better.

This update should start rolling out today, so check your inbox to see if you have the latest version.

What do you think of this update? Let us know in the comments below!