Since the COVID-19 outbreak began, video calling apps have been in high demand since so many of us now spend more time at home, whether working or not.
Due to high demand, Google made Google Meet available to every Google account holder.
The meet is available to anyone with a Gmail address, and it’s not just for paying customers—even free users are now limited to 60-minute calls.
It’s essential to take a few minutes to learn how to make the most of Google Meet with so many schools, businesses, and small groups of friends using the app.
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What is Google Meet?
Google meet is a free video-calling and Screen Sharing service developed by Google. Google Meet is an advanced version of Google Hangouts and it is used primarily as a collaboration solution for businesses to hold video conferences with up to 250 participants.
Free version of Google Meet allows conferences for up to 100 participants
Although google meet is available for free, google does offer a paid enterprise version known as google meet premium .
Google meet can be accessed via the web or mobile app .
Google meet is also integrated into google workspace, so users can start or join a meeting directly from their inbox.
As of now, anyone with a Google Account can create online meetings to meet with up to 100 participants at a time, each meeting can last for up to 60 minutes.
Schools, businesses, and other organizations can benefit from advanced features like external and internal meetings and live streaming to up to 100,000 people.
Google Meet Features and Shortcuts that you should know
The Google Meet app has a number of features that make it convenient and easy to use. These includes :
-The ability to join a meeting without needing an account or login. You can join a meeting with just a link.
-A user-friendly interface that is intuitive and easy to navigate.
-High-definition video and audio quality.
-Screen sharing capabilities, so you can share your screen with other participants during a call.
-The ability to record your calls, so you can refer back to them later.
-Integration with other Google apps, like Gmail and Calendar.
Let’s look at some of the most useful features of Google Meet that one should know
1. Share Screen with Click of Button
Google Meet app that allows users to share their screen with others. This can be useful during presentations or collaboration.
To share your screen,
Click the Share Screen button at the bottom of the Google Meet window.
You can then select which window or application you want to share. Your audience will be able to see everything that you are seeing on your screen.
Google Meet also allows you to share your entire desktop with others.
To do this, click the Share Desktop button at the bottom of the Google Meet window.
Your audience will then be able to see your entire desktop, including any open windows and applications.
To stop sharing your screen, simply click the Stop Sharing button at the bottom of the Google Meet window.
2. Record a Meeting with Google Meet
Recording a Google Meet Meeting is an enterprise feature available to Google Workspace Users
It can be helpful to record meetings to be used for asynchronous learning, reviewing material, or reviewing absent students.
During a meeting, who is allowed to record it?
Recording video meetings allow others to view them later.
An administrator of Google Workspace must enable recording for your account before a meeting can be recorded.
The recording is possible if:
- You are responsible for organizing the meeting
- You and the organizer belong to the same organization
- You’re logged in as a teacher
- Student account, not a workspace account
Start and Stop a Google Meet recording
Important: The recorded meeting comes as a drive link to all the meeting participants
If you join the meeting to present only, you will not be able to record it, such as if you join the meeting from your laptop in the middle of a video conference room.
Start your presentation, join the video meeting, and finally record your presentation once you have finished.
The first thing you need to do is to open a meeting and then start or join a meeting.
If you click More, you will be able to record the meeting.
As soon as the recording starts or stops, other participants are notified.
Once you have finished recording, click More and then Stop recording.
After the meeting ends, the recording also ends.
For verification, click Stop recording again.
To create the recording file, we will need to wait for it to be generated and saved to the meeting organizer’s folder under My Drive > Meeting Recordings.
It is sent via email to both the organizer of the meeting and the person who started recording the meeting, with the recording link.
Play, share, download, or save a recording.
You can find recordings from your meeting in My Drive > Meeting Recordings in the My Drive folder of the meeting organizer.
When the organization’s contact information changes or if the meeting occurs during a time that is not scheduled in the calendar, the recording link is emailed to the original event creator who created the original appointment.
One can share a Google Meet recording:
Click on Share Add Approver and select the file.
Paste the link in an email or chat message by clicking Link “.
Suitable for:
- Users with a “staff” license may access Education Fundamentals.
- The education plus version of the software is available for users with a license for “staff.”
- A Learning and Teaching Upgrade License is available for users with a “Learning’ and Teaching Upgrade” license.
3. Use Cool Background in Google meet or Blur your background
When you are on a Google Meet call, you can change what appears behind you based on your privacy or for fun.
In some apps, this feature is referred to as the virtual background.
You can blur the background to a light or extreme degree in the Google Meet app, select a background image from the app’s library, or upload your image as the background image.
The easiest way to change the background of your meeting is by clicking to join the meeting and then looking for the button where you can choose to change the background of your meeting.
Once you’ve selected your background, you can blur it, add an image, or pick an image.
Unless you create an instant meeting, you won’t be able to see the preview screen, but if you want to change the background during the meeting, you may do so at any time.
If you click on the three stacked dots in your screen’s lower right-hand corner, you can select Change Background.
4. Send Participants to Breakout Rooms
Breakout Rooms features of Google meet are for Enterprise users who use Google Business Program or Google Workspace program.
Google Meet launched Breakout Rooms in late 2020
During meetings, participants can break into breakout rooms to discuss something privately. Each breakout session ends with all participants rejoining the main meeting.
Most education and business customers have access to this feature, as long as their account administrator has granted it the appropriate privileges (Opens in a new window).
In the top right corner of the video call window, click Activities once everything is set up. Select a breakout room.
There is a Breakout Rooms panel that allows you to create any number of rooms you want, with a maximum of 100.
Google Meet will then assign people randomly or assign them to breakout rooms.
Lastly, click Open rooms to begin breakout sessions.
5. Use the White Board for perfect Jam Sessions during the Meeting
The Google Meet whiteboard is a versatile and user-friendly way to collaborate with others during online meetings.
With this feature, you can draw or write notes directly on the screen, making it easy to brainstorm ideas or share important information.
The whiteboard also offers a variety of tools, such as a highlighter, eraser, and pen size selector, that can be used to customize your work.
Best of all, the whiteboard can be saved for future reference or shared with other meeting attendees for further collaboration.
Whether you’re working on a project with colleagues or collaborating with classmates on a school assignment, the Google Meet whiteboard is a great way to get everyone on the same page.
6. Use Captions in Google meet to Transcribe
Have you ever been in a meeting where somebody is speaking and you can’t understand them?
Or maybe you’re trying to follow along with a presentation, but the speaker is going too fast.
Google Meet has a great solution for both of those situations: captions.
With google meet captions turned on, all of the meeting’s audio will be transcribed in real-time.
Captions are especially helpful for users who are hard of hearing or who speak English as a second language.
To turn on captions in Google meet, simply click on the “More” button and select “Captions.”
You can also adjust the caption settings to suit your needs.
For example, you can choose to display the caption in a different language or change the font size.
You can even choose to have the captions displayed in multiple languages, so everyone in the meeting can follow along.
Best of all, google meet captions are available for free – all you need is a google account.
7. Play Robot Game While you wait for Others to join
Yes. – There is a Robot Game that you can play in case the meeting participants are late to join.
Do not worry – no one will be able to see you playing the game if someone joins
Go – Open your Meet Link and Try out the Robot Game 😀
The final word on Google Meet
Within a short period, Google Meet has made great strides. In many aspects, the search engine giant is ahead of Zoom in catching up.
A unique Google Meet feature, noise cancellation, and low light reduction are unavailable on other platforms thanks to its integration with Google Cloud.
As a way of differentiating themselves from their competitors, Google is hoping to add more AI features.