Google is also integrating Meet with the Nest Hub Max.
Google is reportedly previewing a couple of new features for Meet to take on Zoom. The new features will include 49 people in a single video call for free/non-enterprise users, 100-people video calls for Google Nest users, blurred and custom backgrounds, new moderator controls, polling, and “hand-raising”.
Google Meet currently allows only 16 participants in one call, which has put it behind Facebook’s Messenger Rooms and Zoom. To take on Zoom, Google has announced a free Meet user will allow up to 49 participants in one video call.
Like Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and other popular video conferencing apps, Google Meet will allow users to blur your background or replace it entirely. Google will offer a number of default backgrounds as well as allow users to upload their own custom backgrounds while making a video call. It is worth noting that admins can disable this functionality. This feature will be available to Google Meet users soon.
Other features on Google Meet’s horizon, include:
Hand Raising: Increase participation in larger meetings by enabling participants to “raise their hands” when they something to say.
Meeting Attendance: Provides a simple way for hosts to see who attended their meeting.
Breakout Rooms: Make it easy for large meetings to split into smaller groups, have parallel discussions, and reconvene once finished.
Q&A: Provide a channel for people to ask questions without disrupting the conversation.
Polling: Engage participants in large meetings with real-time polling.
Additional Moderator Controls: Offers additional controls for hosts to mute, present, join, and more.
Google will roll out these features as well as improved moderation controls for educators sometime this year. Google is also integrating Meet with the Nest Hub Max. The integration will allow users to join video conferences through the speaker. By simply saying “Hey Google, make a group call” or “Hey Google, start a meeting”, you can easily be connected to Google Meet. The feature is already available to G Suite users.
With the new features, Google is looking to take on the big players in the video conferencing game, more precisely, Zoom.
Also Read: Facebook Messenger Rooms vs Zoom vs Microsoft Teams vs Google Meet: How the top video conferencing solutions stack upWEBINAR: Tune in on June 30 at 11am to find out how term insurance can provide risk protection during tough times. Register Now!
