Zoom and Skype are on the defensive as Google Meet steps up its game.
Zoom, Skype, and (briefly) Houseparty saw a surge in popularity as the epidemic began, and people rushed to them in droves. If you’re looking for a way to stay connected in lockdown, Google Meet is an excellent option, but it’s a stripped-down service that some users find frustrating.
Google has introduced a slew of new features for Meet that will make it a more attractive option for long-term remote workers. Google revealed a slew of new features designed to help “hybrid models” become the “sustainable norm,” especially for those who have an Enterprise account.
Next month, emoji reactions for in-meetings will be available. For the most part, this is an easy-to-use feature that allows participants to respond in real time without having to unmute or otherwise disturb the meeting’s flow. You can read more about Google’s study on how to make the feature seem like a human connection without being too obtrusive in another blog post.
The integration of Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides will follow “in the coming weeks.” Quickly opening documents, spreadsheets, and presentations alongside the grid of faces in the meeting will allow for better and more intimate collaboration on files once you’ve started a meeting.
Alternatively, picture-in-picture mode, which will be available next month, will allow you to multitask outside of Google’s suite of productivity tools. Up to four video tiles may be shown in a floating window in Chrome, freeing up space on your main browser window for other tasks.
Later this year, Google Meet will allow users to stream straight to YouTube, expanding its livestreaming reach. Attendees will be able to participate in Q&A sessions and polls just like they would in a standard Meet session through the existing livestreaming features.
In May, Google will begin rolling out optional client-side encryption, and this will be followed later in the year by an end-to-end encryption option for more sensitive talks. To make safe, hybrid cooperation a reality, “these upgrades reinforce the foundation of security that helps,” the business says.
As a final advantage to using a Google Meet-certified camera and hardware, users may turn on noise cancellation to filter out the annoying noises of keyboard clicking and outside noise. You may have already reaped the benefits of this, according to reports.
It’s a nice set of changes that should make it easier for office workers to collaborate with those working remotely. It is possible to create an effective hybrid work paradigm that allows people to perform at their best no matter where they are by using a unified communications and collaboration strategy, Google says.