A developer over on XDA recently released an unofficial Hangouts widget to Google Play, helping all of those widget-happy folks who love seeing their messages on the homescreen. The widget is quite simple to explain, as it only displays all of your Hangout threads in a white and green widget, which sits on whichever screen you place it on. For those who were used to having a text messaging widget back before Hangouts handled SMS, then this should be helpful for you.
The app is completely free, and as you’d expect from a new app, the developer is continuing to take in feedback and improve his offering. Here’s hoping we see themes or something along those lines in the future.