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Over the weekend, we released a specific 1.0.15 update for the Google voice and video chat software. This update is for Mac computers only, and is focused on resolving compatibility issues with Mac OS X v10.6, Snow Leopard. All current Mac installations on OS X v10.4 and v10.5 will begin an automatic update within the next few days.

However, if you have previously installed an older version of Google voice and video chat on OS X v10.6, you will need to re-install it manually by visiting http://www.google.com/chat/video and download the new 1.0.15 version.

You can use your Gmail account to find out what version is currently installed. Simply go to the Gmail Settings page and look under the "Chat" tab. You will see the plugin version under the "Learn more" link, in small type.

The following Mac OS X v10.6 issues were fixed in version 1.0.15:

* Fixed problem where the Google Talk Plugin was not detected in Safari
* Fixed problem where the Google Talk Plugin would delay system sleep by 30 seconds
* Fixed problem where video would not be displayed in a video chat
* Fixed problem where registration for automatic upgrades did not work
* Fixed problem when uninstalling and reinstalling the same version

If, after installing version 1.0.15, you continue to encounter issues with video not being displayed, a single reboot of your Mac should fix the problem. We are working with Apple to resolve this. If you are on 1.0.15 and experience problems, please report them on the Gmail voice and video chat forums.


Posted by Justin Uberti
Software Engineer

We have spent the last few months focusing on three things: quality, quality, and quality! For those of you with the Google voice and video chat plugin installed, you have recently received an automatic update that contains:

• A fix that reduces crashes on newer macs (Mac OS X v10.6.2 specifically)
• A fix for webcam compatibility on Windows (including HP webcams)
• Several fixes to increase plugin stability
• Several fixes to the infrastructure used to set up and connect your video calls.

From users who have chosen to “Report quality statistics” in their chat settings, we can see a substantial increase in call connection rates and a big decrease in the call drop rate (see chart below). We hope that this will result in more enjoyable conversations with our software.

As with all software, working on improving quality is a never ending process, so we hope that you will continue to report any issues you have in our user forum, and we will continue to work on improving connection rates and call quality.

Thanks to all of you who use our service -- and especially those of you who report issues!

Posted by Jessan Hutchison-Quillian and Mikael Drugge
Software engineers