Google Meet is now directly available in Gmail for G Suite users. The integration is already active in the web version of the email client and will soon also be coming to the mobile app.
Users can join a video meeting or set up one themselves from the Gmail sidebar, and a new Meet app window will appear.
G Suite administrators don’t have to do anything to activate the feature for their users. This happens automatically, but can be turned off if desired. The integration will roll out immediately for Rapid Release domains and from April 30 for Scheduled Release domains.
Just like competitors Zoom and Microsoft Teams, Google also saw an increase in the use of its video conferencing software as a result of the increased teleworking from the corona pandemic. At the end of March, daily use was 26 times higher than in January.
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The increased demand for video conferencing is pushing all platform providers to accelerate with new functionality.
Earlier this week, Microsoft announced that it would increase the number of visible participants in a call from four to nine people. Google is reportedly planning something similar, according to Reuters, with an option to display 16 participants at once. For comparison, Zoom can display up to 49 participants side by side, provided your hardware is powerful enough.
Other pipeline features for Google Meet include improved video quality in low-light conditions and the ability to filter out background noise.
