Overview
- .hangout is a brand gTLD applied for and managed by Google (Charleston Road Registry Inc.).
- Its stated purpose is to host select Google+ Hangouts content and provide a dedicated Internet space for linking to Google+ Hangouts pages.
- The gTLD is intended to create short, simple second-level URLs that point to users' Google+ Hangouts pages or specific offerings.
History
- Applied for as part of ICANN's New gTLD Program and categorized as a brand gTLD.
- The application succeeded and .hangout was delegated to the DNS Root Zone on 24 January 2015.
- Registry and management are handled by Google via Charleston Road Registry Inc.
Usage and Audience
- Targeted users are "select" Google+ Hangouts users who meet Google+ Hangouts' eligibility or selection criteria.
- Intended use cases:
- Provide short, user-friendly URLs for Google+ Hangouts content (example: brandname.hangout).
- Strengthen the brand relationship between Google+ Hangouts and selected users.
- Second-level domains in the TLD are intended to point directly to Google+ Hangouts pages via Google's authoritative DNS.
Registration Rules
- Eligibility is limited to select Google+ Hangouts users and premium members who meet Google's selection criteria.
- Charleston Road Registry indicated an intention to operate .hangout with Google as the sole registrar and sole registrant, and to seek an exemption from the ICANN Registry Operator Code of Conduct to that effect.
- If ICANN does not grant the requested exemption, the registry stated it would make registry services available to all ICANN-accredited registrars.
- Google plans to manage second-level domain eligibility and allocation for the TLD.
SEO and Brand Impact
- The TLD is positioned to strengthen Google+ Hangouts' brand identity and simplify the user experience by offering branded, short URLs.
- Limiting the TLD to selected Hangouts content is intended to signal curated or premium content and reinforce trust in association with the Google+ Hangouts brand.
- The registry committed to implementing rights-protection measures to support intellectual property protection and brand integrity.
Notable Cases or Examples
- Example usage from the application: brand name.hangout (used as a short URL to point to a user's Google+ Hangouts page or specific Hangout offering).
Operator
Charleston Road Registry Inc.
Whois
% IANA WHOIS server
% for more information on IANA, visit http://www.iana.org
% This query returned 1 object
domain: HANGOUT
organisation: Charleston Road Registry Inc.
address: 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway
address: Mountain View CA 94043
address: United States of America (the)
contact: administrative
name: TLD Admin
organisation: Google Inc
address: 111 8th Avenue
address: New York NY 10011
address: United States of America (the)
phone: +1 404 978 8419
fax-no: +1 650 492 5631
e-mail: iana-contact@google.com
contact: technical
name: TLD Engineering
organisation: Google Inc
address: 76 Ninth Avenue, 4th Floor
address: New York NY 10011
address: United States of America (the)
phone: +1 404 978 8419
fax-no: +1 650 492 5631
e-mail: crr-tech@google.com
nserver: NS-TLD1.CHARLESTONROADREGISTRY.COM 2001:4860:4802:32:0:0:0:69 216.239.32.105
nserver: NS-TLD2.CHARLESTONROADREGISTRY.COM 2001:4860:4802:34:0:0:0:69 216.239.34.105
nserver: NS-TLD3.CHARLESTONROADREGISTRY.COM 2001:4860:4802:36:0:0:0:69 216.239.36.105
nserver: NS-TLD4.CHARLESTONROADREGISTRY.COM 2001:4860:4802:38:0:0:0:69 216.239.38.105
nserver: NS-TLD5.CHARLESTONROADREGISTRY.COM 2001:4860:4805:0:0:0:0:69 216.239.60.105
ds-rdata: 12985 8 2 007ecbfbf4e92e7ffac278e5830d4fbf869c2eb5a1abe1494463649a279fef9b
whois:
status: ACTIVE
remarks: Registration information: https://www.registry.google
created: 2015-01-08
changed: 2025-04-11
source: IANA
