eCommerceNews New Zealand - Technology news for digital commerce decision-makers
Story image

Google brings Meet to iOS and Android

Fri, 19th Jun 2020
FYI, this story is more than a year old

Google has announced it will bring meet to both iOS and Android operating systems, giving users the ability to start and join video meetings right from their phones.

Last month, Google Meet was made free and available for everyone, and was also brought into Gmail on the web.

Erika Yamasaki, product manager at the Google, says the availability of the platform on phones will mean users can stay connected more easily.

"In addition, we're also happy to share that one of the most highly requested features - noise cancellation on Meet - will also be rolling out in the next few weeks, and has had very positive initial reviews," she says.

"On a given day, I'm joining a dozen video calls—some are for work and others are scheduled times to catch up with friends (virtual trivia has become a quarantine favourite!)," says Yamasaki.

"With video calling being an integral part of our lives, we made Google Meet free and available for everyone last month, and also brought it into Gmail on the web. Today, we're bringing Meet to Gmail on Android and iOS, so that you can easily join video meetings from your inbox," she says,

How to instructions:
In the coming weeks, you'll soon notice a new Meet tab on your phone's Gmail app where you can see upcoming meetings scheduled in Google Calendar, and easily join them with a single tap.

In the Meet tab, tap on "New meeting" to start a meeting instantly, get a meeting link to share, or to schedule a meeting in Calendar. If you tap on "Join with a code," you can join meetings shared with you by entering a meeting code.

If you don't want Meet to appear as a tab in the Gmail app, access the Settings from the hamburger menu in the top left corner of your inbox, tap on your account, scroll down and uncheck Meet.

Before you join your first video call
Once you tap a Meeting link to open the Gmail app, you can follow these steps before joining the video call:

  • If you're joining a video meeting for the first time, you'll be asked to allow the Gmail app to access your camera and microphone. Click OK. 
  • If you close the join screen, go back to the meeting link and tap it again.
  • To turn your camera on or off, tap Camera Camera.
  • To turn your microphone on or off, tap Microphone Microphone.
  • To copy the meeting information and share it with others, tap Share Share.
  • To join only to share your screen, you can tap Share screen Share screen.
  • Important: You should only use this to share your screen as you will not be able to see or hear the other people on the call.
  • For meetings organized by a G Suite account, tap Join by phone and dial into the meeting with your phone.
  • If you're ready to join the call, tap Join.

Once inside a video call

  • You can tap the screen at any time to turn the camera and microphone on or off.
  • If you wish to switch your camera, tap on Flip camera, and switch between the front and rear-facing cameras. 
  • To choose the audio output source or mute and unmute the meeting, tap Speaker Speaker.
  • To see the meeting information, tap the meeting title at the top. You'll find calendar details (if scheduled in Calendar), the people who are on the call, and the joining info to send to others.
  • For the people who are on the call, you can also tap on the 3 dot menu next to their name to mute, pin or remove them.
  • Tip: Pin a user to pin their video feed to the center of the app. Mute the user if they are creating noise or echo on the call. Note that only the user will be able to unmute themselves. Remove the user if you no longer want them in the call. For meetings organized with a personal Google Account, only the meeting organizer can remove other users.
  • To invite more users to an ongoing call, tap Share joining info and choose an app to share the meeting invite with. 
  • Important: For meetings organized via a personal Google Account, only the meeting organizer can invite others to an ongoing call. 
  • For more in-call features, tap Menu More.
  • Add others: To add more people to the call, tap  Add others.
  • Important: For meetings organized by a personal Google Account, only the meeting organizer can invite others to the call. 
  • In call message: To chat and view messages from people in the call, tap View messages. To close it, tap Close Close X.
  • Share screen: To share your screen, tap Share screen. Note that this will share your entire screen including any phone notifications until you stop sharing your screen.
  • Turn on captions: To turn on captions, tap Closed captions.
  • Turn on Low light mode: To adjust the video for low light: Tap Settings Settings and thenTurn on Turn on.
  • Send feedback.
  • Report abuse.
  • To end the meeting, tap End End call.
  • If you minimize your call and need to get back to it, tap the green icon to the upper left of the screen. 

  •  
Follow us on:
Follow us on LinkedIn Follow us on X
Share on:
Share on LinkedIn Share on X