Google Meet, previously Hangouts Meet, is launching a lot of new exciting video conferencing features. Google is upgrading its Meet video conferencing tool with four brand new native capabilities. A new 16-participant grid layout, better video & audio quality with background noise cancellation, direct Gmail integration, and more. These new features use Google’s Artificial Intelligence technology, and are gradually being rolled out to customers globally. Meet’s integration with Gmail & the new 16-person view grid are only the first ones in a list of new features being launched more quickly than anticipated. This is due to the increased demand from users and the fact that these functionalities will come in very handy while home working. In this article I’ll explain what you can expect from these four new kids on the video meeting block.
As more and more people rely on video conferencing tools to work from home these days, Google is upgrading their video conferencing platform at a rapid pace. Did you already know that each day, a quickly growing number of people connect on Google Meet? Meet, recently rebranded from Hangouts Meet to Google Meet, has a daily usage that jumps to 2 million new users every day.
Google wants to make sure these users have the features they need to be as productive as possible. Here’s an overview of the four new features that Google announced this week and that are rolling out to your organisation’s Google Meet app in the coming days and weeks.
16-participant grid
Meet now lets web users simultaneously see up to 16 participants. This new gallery view will allow users to see up to 16 participants in a meeting in a single frame. Previously, the layout only enabled you to see four people at the same time.
If you want to see 16 people in Google Meet at once, follow these steps:
- Step 1: Open Google Meet and start the session.
- Step 2: Next to the person icon on the top-right corner, the Grid View icon will appear.
- Step 3: Click on the icon to make everyone in the meeting appear on the screen in a grid view.
- Step 4: Meet will resize everyone’s box so that they all fit in one screen.
Our Team already loves the grid view, for sure!
More updates are coming soon for larger meetings and even better presentation layouts.
Video quality and background noise cancellation
In addition, Google will also improve the Google Meet video quality by adapting the video quality when a Meet participant is in dim lighting and by filtering unnecessary background noise, such as clicks on keyboards and slamming doors.
Better video quality in dim lighting
This function makes it possible to create a clear image even when there’s not a lot of natural daylight. Google uses AI to automatically adjust the video and to make you more visible to other participants in sub-optimal lighting conditions.
Google will make this feature available to mobile users, and will roll this out to web users in the future.
Unnecessary background noise
By using artificial intelligence, the Google Meet app will filter out sounds such as a playing children or barking dogs during a video conference. Google wants to ensure that you can video meet with your colleagues undisturbed. Very convenient in the current teleworking times we’re living in!
Noise cancellation will first be available to G Suite Enterprise and G Suite Enterprise for Education customers, starting with web users.
Present only a Chrome tab
Google Meet users now have the option to present a Chrome tab. Previously, you were only able to present a window or your entire screen. This option offers a better experience for remote workers.
You no longer have to share your entire screen and can focus on just what you want to show to others.The “present a Chrome tab” feature is already available for all Google Meet users.
Gmail integration
This integration was one of the first of several features being launched ahead of schedule by Google.
Users of Gmail, Google’s email service in G Suite, are now able to make and receive video calls directly through Meet from within their inbox.
The new option is already integrated into the Gmail sidebar, in the same way as the Google Chat app. The options to start or join a video meeting are available in the left hand panel of Gmail.
By enabling Google Meet users to access the video app right from Gmail, Google hopes to make it even faster and easier to start video meetings. Switching between email and video meetings will be quicker.
This feature is currently available only for web browsers. A mobile app version is coming soon, Google says.
Advanced functionalities
With more and more people working and learning from home, we want to make it easier for you to connect and keep things moving forward” – Google Cloud
The release of the new features like Google Meet’s tiled layout comes only two weeks after the decision of Google to extend Meet’s premium features to enterprise and education G Suite users through September 30, 2020. Google is currently not charging customers for upgrades to get to use the advanced functionalities of Meet.
Looking for tips for a successful video conference from home with Google Meet? Check out our 5 tips about Video conferencing with Google Meet in this article.
These Google Meet updates are designed to facilitate a seamless transition between different forms of workplace communication. The unprecedented times we’re living in make advanced new functionalities for video conferencing more necessary than ever, and can improve significantly the quality of remote meetings. We’re already looking forward to the next new Google Meet capabilities! If you are looking for tips to become a pro in online meetings, check our latest checklist.
Do you want to use Google Meet more effectively? Watch our on-demand webinar about how to do video conferencing with Google Meet. In the webinar, you will learn some of the tips and tricks to make the most out of the Google Meet video meeting tool for even better remote working.
Did you know about the temporary Google Meet offer? You can get Google Meet free now!
