Google Meet is a video conference service by Google. It is a great way for individuals and businesses to connect via audio and video calls. Although it was created from Google Hangouts, it has some unique features.

Google Meet is a video conference service. Google Meet was initially only available for enterprise customers. However, it is now free to everyone.

Google Meet is available online and on smartphones and tablets for Android or iOS.

Google Meet was originally designed to be used for hosting video meetings. You can turn off the microphone and camera separately, so that you can use it for audio calls only if necessary.

You can invite your family and friends to join you in ad-hoc calls. You can invite them by entering your meeting code, or sending them a link they can click.

What is Google Meet?

Packages Available With Google Meet

How To Use Google Meet For A Business

How To Enhance Your Google Meet Experience

Google Meet is available for free to everyone but there are limitations. Meeting durations for free users are limited to an hour and there is a limit of 100 participants. Families looking for an alternative to Skype can also extend 1:1 meetings up to 24 hours.

These limits are significantly increased for Google Workspace Individual users. With 100 participants, meeting durations can jump to 24 hours. The software also includes a variety of useful features, such as saving meeting recordings to Google Drive, calling in domestic or international calls, and providing 24/7 customer support.

Google Workspace Enterprise users have even more. They can meet up to 500 people, but only within a 24-hour period. Additional security features include intelligent noise cancellation and many other great features.

Start a video conference from Meet:

1. Google Meet.
2. Register for a New Meeting
3. Choose an option :

• For later, create a meeting:
  • Copy the meeting link to share details with others.
  • This link can be used to directly launch the meeting. Copy the link and paste it into a browser. Or enter the link in the "Enter code or link" field, then click Join.
• Get started with an instant meeting
  • Start a new meeting.
• Google Calendar:
  • You can schedule a meeting by going to Google Calendar.

Meet is extremely easy to use for people who are switching from WebEx and Zoom. It's easy to learn, just like all Google Workspace apps.

It is easier to join a meeting than it is to start one. Each of these places has an option to join a meeting. There are two options: enter the meeting code or click the link provided by the host. It's that simple.

Blur or Change Background

Google Meet lets you blur or change the background to reduce distractions and conceal what's happening in it. Click on More Options and then choose Apply visual effects.

You can then choose from a range of backgrounds or upload your image. You can choose to blur the background or make it completely blurred.

Pin a Participant to Your Screen

There are two ways to pin a speaker/participant. Click on the pin icon displayed when hovering over the participant's video. Click on the People icon at the bottom right if you are unable to locate the participant.

Here you can also see the number of participants in the meeting. Click on the pin next to the name of the participant you wish to find. Your screen will display their video feed until you remove it.

Create Breakout Rooms

Moderators have the option to break down participants into smaller groups via Google Meet. This is particularly useful when there are many participants.

Only certain Google Workspace editions have access to a breakout room, such as:

1. Essentials
2. Business Standard
3. Business Plus
4. Enterprise
5. Education
6. Non-Profits
7. Workspace Business

You can either create breakout rooms for meetings via Google Calendar in advance or during a meeting.

You'll see Breakout rooms. Simply select the number of rooms you want, then drag and drop participants into the rooms. Randomly shuffle groups.

How to Create a Breakout Room During a Meet

• Click on Activities to create a breakout area while you're in a meeting.
• If you're on one of these eligible plans, Breakout rooms will be available to you. You can create up to 100 rooms with Meet.
• Choose the number of breakout spaces you would like to create. Simply enter the names of participants in the designated rooms or drag and drop them into other breakout rooms.
• Click on Open rooms to continue.
• Click on Edit rooms to make any changes.

Enable Live Captions

Google Meet defaults to turning off captions. Click on More Options to enable live captions. Next, turn on Captions.

Google Meet will ask for you to choose the language that will be used during the meeting. After you have made the selection, Google Meet will display captions in that language on all future meetings you attend from your device. Be aware that captions displayed on the screen may not be accurate.

Check Your Mic and Camera

It can be frustrating to join a meeting without knowing if other participants can hear you. Google Meet makes it easy to check your microphone and camera before you join a meeting.

Here are some tips to make sure your mic and camera work together.

• Google Meet can be opened on your computer.
• Click on Next, Create a meeting. You won't have the ability to run the check if you create an instant meeting. Meet will provide a link to your meeting if you choose the other option.
• You will find an option to check your audio and video just below your camera view. This will allow you to preview how you sound and look in a Google Meet.
• test-mic-and-camera
• Then you can test your microphone or camera. As shown below, you can also blur your background or apply visual effects before joining the meeting.

Record a Meeting for Later

Google Meet allows you to record meetings, which is especially useful for training sessions and onboarding. This feature is only available to organizations that support it.

Click on Activities at the bottom and then choose Recording to record a meeting. All participants will be notified about the recording and it will start immediately.

The file is saved to the host's My Drive after you have finished recording. Automatically, a separate folder is created called Meet Recordings.

Meet automatically shares the link to the recording with both the host and the initiator. Google Meet allows you to share your screen with other participants.

Add More Functionality With Extensions

Google Chrome has many extensions that can be used to enhance its functionality. These extensions are not often created by Google. They are created by third parties.

The Meeting Notes extension, for instance, allows you to take notes quickly during video calls without switching tabs. There's also the Google Meet Enhancement Suite that offers additional features like a mute button and automatic admitting of participants.