To help people connect easily in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, Google has introduced its Google Meet video conferencing application, which was only available to its premium members as a free feature on Gmail desktop accounts. "We re-engineered the service we built for secure business meetings, Google Meet, to make it free and available to all," says the giant market leader, Google.
The app, which can also be downloaded for free for both Android and IOS devices, is said to have remarkable features which beat off the Skype replacement video conferencing application, Zoom.
Unlike Zoom, Google Meet has a new Artificial Intelligence (AI) enhancement that keeps call quality high and clear even if the user's surroundings aren't. Google says the video conferencing app adjusts to your network speed which ensures high quality calls wherever the user may be in the world.
However, like Zoom, Google Meet makes connecting with others at work or at school easy and simple with it's easy recording feature and adaptive layouts. The application remarkably hosts up to 250 participants in one meeting - which is why it was a video conferencing tool set for business meetings. On Google Meet, participants can join meetings from their smartphones while hosts can share their screens, be in control of who joins the meetings and also be able to live stream events within their company or personal websites of up to 100 000 people.
Google Meet also accommodates people with disabilities as they can easily participate in video meetings using accessibility features such as live captions, keyboard shortcuts, screen readers and magnifiers, as well as the Google meeting room hardware.
Making this video conferencing application free has come in handy to many amid the coronavirus as families and friends can stay connected while those telecommuting can effectively host digital meetings with their colleagues. Those in school, as is the situation currently in basic education, can create live study groups and continue learning as long as they have a reliable Internet connection.
With quite a number of users rating the app one, two or three stars on Google Play, and just a few rating it five stars from May 8, it calls for a more improved Meet. However, some of those who have already started utilizing the app say it needs to allow split screen while others think it is a great app although there is always room for improvement.
With millions of people in the world using Gmail, Google Meet will, predictably, be the most used video conferencing application. This is because it has been directly integrated in Google's free email accounts which also makes its accessibility hassle-free.
To download the Google Meet mobile app on your Android device use the Google Play store and the Apple Store for your IOS device.
Cover image source: gadgets.ndtv.com
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