Remote working and remote meetings have been steadily becoming more popular in recent years, but the coronavirus pandemic has made them even more commonplace. As such, the likes of Zoom, Google Meet and so on have become almost household names.
Google is well aware that Google Meet is used not only for business purposes, but also for friends and family to keep in touch, particularly during times of crisis and periods of isolation. As such the company has decided to make it easier for mobile users to join or start meetings.
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- How to use Google Meet
- Google Meet video conferencing is now free for everyone
The improved access to Google Meet will come through integration with Gmail on mobile device. Soon, Android and iOS users will see a new Google Meet tab at the bottom of their inboxes which will give easy access to meetings – and there's no need to have the Google Meet App installed.
Clicking this tab will show users all of the meetings that they have scheduled in Google Calendar, and allow them to join those meetings with a single tap. It will also be possible to start an new meeting instantly, or to schedule a meeting for a later time.
Let's meet up
The integration of Meet with Gmail comes just weeks after Google took the decision to make the tool available to everyone free of charge, making it a viable alternative to the likes of Zoom and Microsoft Teams. Google has not revealed precisely when the Google Meet tab will appear for mobile users beyond saying it will happen "in the coming weeks".
Of course, it is worth remembering that not everyone wants to use Google Meet and therefore there will be some people who don't really appreciated the arrival of a dedicated tab for the service in Gmail. For these folk, there is good news – it will be possible to disable it in the settings for the Gmail app if you prefer.
- Check out our review of Google Meet
Via Google
