In yet another sign that Google is drawing back the reach of its social network Google+, the company delivered on a promised update that drops the profile requirement for Hangouts. On desktop and mobile, Google Apps account users and those without a Google+ account can now start and join Hangouts calls of up to 15 people.

In addition, video calls feature calendar integration – they can be added, changed, or joined from a Google Calendar entry.

What does the news mean for Google+? Lately, Google has been taciturn on the subject. The network escaped mention during this year’s Google I/O keynote, and rumblings suggest that the company plans to divorce from it more services, like Photos, in the future.

Still, Google+ is hardly dead – it continues to receive new features and improvements. If anything, Google is treating it a little more pragmatically, which I think is a positive step.

To start a Hangout, visit g.co/hangout.