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Google Meet adds a quick settings panel for all of your favorite background effects
Blurs, backdrops, and more — all just a couple of clicks away
Whether you're still working remotely or trying out a new hybrid situation, video conferences are still a common factor in the lives of millions of employees. Google Meet is one of the best ways to hold meetings online, in both one-on-one situations and company-wide keynotes. To make it easier to manage your video's appearance, Google is adding a dedicated effects panel to its UI.
Google Meet is about to do away with those annoying echoes
It'll alert the offender so they can rectify the problem
As video conferencing has become more popular over the last year and a half, there's one thing many of us have come to dread — echoes. An Echo is just one of a bad batch of issues that still plague video calls. Thankfully, Google is setting out to fix that.
Google Meet is ending unlimited group video calls for free users
1h+ group calls are a now a no-go for free users
Google made unlimited Meet group video calls free when the COVID-19 pandemic first hit, but the company never intended this feature to remain available for everyone. The business originally wanted to introduce a long-planned 60-minute limit for free accounts in March this year, but then extended the deadline to June 2021. And well, there's no further delay: June has come and gone, and so have free unlimited calls for everyone.
Google Meet is spending summer vacation improving video calls for teachers and students
New ways for admins to control their meetings
Plenty of schools are returning to in-person learning in the fall, but remote classes are likely here to stay in some capacity. Google is working to improve how video conferencing works in both Classroom and Meet, with a massive boost in security and safety coming to each platform before another school semester kicks off.
Google Meet will now tell you when your call quality is poor, as ifF Y□U d.dn.t kno###
It'll also help you fix it
Video calls have no doubt become more popular in the past year or so. Those who deal with not-so-great Wi-Fi or just own less powerful devices have likely had to deal with poor call quality, but Google Meet will now tell you when your call quality is being affected and offer recommendations on how to fix the issue.
Google Meet's new power-saving feature means you can't dodge meetings with a low battery
And you still can't block out all the street noise for those who insist on doing calls outdoors — DAVID
That all-hands meeting in the office may have been traded in for a Google Meet call from wherever thanks to the pandemic-driven uptake of remote work, but for some people dialing in from their phones, they may not have enough juice or be able to even plug in to a power source. The good news now? Meet's addressing the need for conservation.
Google Meet brings live captions to four new languages on mobile
It's only available in Europe and Asia Pacific for now
The sudden surge in working from home has led Google to heavily invest in its video chat tools, including Google Meet (formerly Hangouts Meet). Last month it gained the ability to accept multiple join requests at once, and now Meet's live caption feature will support more languages.
Students can now record Google Meet classes on some Workspace Education accounts
The feature needs to be enabled by an administrator
Nothing beats a live meeting for rapid communication, even if you have to do it through a webcam. But it's also handy to have a record of what happened, especially if you know you'll be Asked Questions Later. To that end: the latest addition to Google Workspaces Education (previously known as G Suite for Education). Students can now record Google Meet sessions.
Google Meet has been in rapid development over the past year to accommodate the millions of people who transitioned to (and in many cases, still are) working from home. The service has implemented many new features recently, and now Google is making it easier than ever to create a call.
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According to Google's Workspace Status Dashboard and anecdotal user reports, Google Meet is having difficulties today. Although the problem isn't universal, some folks can't access the Google Meet site, which shows a 502 error. Thankfully (or unfortunately, if you're hoping to dodge classes), there's a workaround.
Google Meet has added nearly all of the features it outlined earlier this year, including polling, hand-raising, and blurred bokeh-style backgrounds. Now it's continuing its assault on Zoom by introducing a number of improvements to breakout rooms, along with expanded availability of the feature.
Google has been working on improving its Meet videoconferencing service in an effort to capitalize on all the virtual meetings going on these days. The platform unveiled a list of features in the works earlier this year, and many of those began showing up in the last few months. The latest addition is one that's sure to come in especially handy during large meetings, as support for hand raising arrives.
New Gmail settings give you more control over your data
You can opt out of product personalization using your Gmail data and turn off smart features for enhanced privacy
In recent years, Google has come under increased scrutiny regarding how it uses your personal data, and this has led to the introduction of new privacy features across various products and the ability to auto-delete location history and web activity. The company's latest effort to put users in control of their own data comes in the form of new settings in Gmail.
Google Meet has picked up a bunch of new features recently, including polling and Q&A abilities. When the Meet tab rolled out in Gmail earlier this summer, it brought a new UI with it. The iOS Meet app adopted it last month, and today, Google is announcing that same experience is now coming to the standard Meet app on Android.
Google Meet is getting two new Zoom features
Polling and Q&A capabilities will start rolling out next week
Google has been working hard on Meet, its video conferencing tool, in an effort to compete with other platforms like Zoom. The company published a roadmap of upcoming features last month, and today it announced that the rollout for two of these features will be starting next week — but only for certain users.
Unlimited-length Google Meet video calls remain free for all through March
Well, the time limit is actually 24 hours, but it's way more than a half-hour
You may remember way back when in May of 1920 2020 that Google made its relatively new enterprise-focused videoconferencing program Meet free for anyone to use. Everyone would be able to make free calls of unlimited length* through September 30. Well, just a day ahead of its expiration, the company has decided to extend that grace through March 31, 2021.
Google Meet (formerly Hangouts Meet) has become an essential tool for workplaces and schools across the world, following the rise of COVID-related lockdowns and work-from-home measures. Google has been rapidly adding features over the past few months, and the latest improvement is noise cancellation on mobile platforms.
Google starts rolling out two helpful new Meet features
Say hello to new layout options and bokeh-style background blur
In an effort to slice off a larger piece of the video conferencing pie, Google has been dedicating a lot of resources to Meet lately. The service started showing up in Gmail last month (here's how to turn it off), and Google said that a bunch of new features would be coming later this year. Now it looks like two of those additions are showing up — one ahead of schedule.
Weekend poll: Do you like the new Google Meet tab in Gmail?
We've got pretty strong feelings about it
Over the summer, Google debuted a new "feature" for Gmail that integrated Meet into a dedicated tab in the app, rolling out with wide availability earlier this month. The change takes up around 10-20% of the vertical space in the Gmail app to give you what amounts to a dedicated shortcut to the company's videoconferencing service. It's part of an overall plan to foist Meet on us whether we want it or not, and I'm curious to hear if you actually appreciate the change or not.
Google has resolved its massive server issues affecting Gmail, Drive, Keep, Docs, Meet, Chat, and Voice
Some people couldn't send emails or upload files
Tonight, Google experienced some issues with its servers as multiple services were affected by disruptions, but by now, the company has confirmed that the problems are fixed. People reported that they couldn't send emails via Gmail and upload files to Drive, with thousands of reports on DownDetector.com. Google itself noted on its G Suite Status Dashboard that there were additional problems with Docs, Meet, Chat, Keep, Groups, Slides, Sites, and Voice.