Google is updating Hangouts with small but key features. Users can now assign custom ringtones for individual contacts which is a much needed feature that was absent on Hangouts for a long time.
Moving on Google has also added a block list that shows all your blocked contacts in a list format at one place which makes its easy to unblock. Prior to this Hangouts only supported blocking of individual SMS contact but did not display it. The latest update also gets Hidden Contacts feature where you can hide contacts from the main conversation list.
Google has also fixed the much overdue battery draining problem in this update which was a big concern. Few other minor changes along with a number of bug fixes has been added to Hangouts. The latest version will be available for download at the Google Play Store soon. In the meantime users can use the APK from the source link and sideload manually.
Hangouts for Android was last updated in April with homescreen widget and merged conversations.