What is Google Meet?
Google meet is a video conferencing app available to everyone. It is considered to be a replacement to the two other apps offered by Google, Google Duo and Google Chat. Alot of people are using and preferring it over the famous networking app called Zoom.
Is it free?
The Google Meet app is absolutely free and is accessible to anyone who has an account on Google. It offers the possibility to invite upto a 100 participants. You can also handle meetings on the platform for upto 60 minutes per meeting.
The platform is really good and smooth in terms of its functionality as well as working. It is available on both Google play and Apple store.
How to sign up for Google Meet?
In order to sign up there are 3 ways –
FOR PERSONAL USE
Incase you already have an account of Gmail, all you need to do is just sign in to your existing Google Account and you are all set to start.
FOR BUSINESS USE
To use for business purposes, you need to have a G suite account. Just sign in to your existing account and you are good to go.
FOR G SUITE ADMINS
Google Meet is included in G Suite and G Suite for Education. In order to start using it as part of G suite all you have to do is turn on video calling for your specific organisation.
How it Works?
Below is a 3 step simple process in order to start a meeting on it –
1. Firstly, create a new video meeting. To do so, log in to your existing Google Account or sign up for free.
2. Next, Invite others to your online meeting. For this, send a link or meeting code to any one for joining the meeting. It is somewhat similar to joining a meeting on Zoom. Also make sure to create or sign in to your exiting google account for joining incase you are using the free version.
3. Lastly, Tap on the meeting link from the invite and enter the meeting code. You also have the option of using the dial-in number and PIN in the invite to join.
DEEP DIVE into Key and Free features
Here are some of the key features of the app which make it worth the use.
1. Unlimited number of meetings
It allows to connect with anyone be it clients, classmates, friends etc as many times you want. Not only this it also offers to invite up to a 100 participants to a meeting.
2. Compatible across devices
The compatibility of the app is a huge plus point because that makes it easily accessible. You can join in from a desktop/laptop, your phone or even your iPad. And, if you are working from home you can even join from Google Nest Hub Max.
3. Live Captioning during meetings
The option of following along in the real time using automated live captions is also available. They show the text of the conversation making it more easier and clearer to understand.
4. Video and Audio preview screen
Once joined the meeting through the link or code, you also have the option to adjust your camera and the mic. This allows you to get a quick preview of how you look before entering. Along with this, it also provides a preview of who has joined the meeting.
5. Controls for meeting hosts
In the app there are a number of controls like pin, mute or even remove any participants. Due to privacy reasons, you cannot unmute the other person but you can always ask them to mute their audio.
As far as the education accounts are concerned, only the meeting creator can mute or remove others.
6. Adjustable layouting and screen settings
In meet the layout will automatically switch in a video meeting and display the most active participants as well as the content.
7. Messaging and Screen Sharing
Meet allows the option of screen sharing wherein you can either present your entire screen or an application window. This allows you to share your presentations as well as collaborate through documents.
Not only this it also offers the option to make your meetings way more engaging by live messaging during the calls. In order to share files, links or some other messages all you have to do is click the chat icon.
A point to keep in mind is that the messages would only be available during the meeting.
