Quarantines and lockdowns forced the world to stay at home. As a result, people flocked to video chat apps to communicate with their colleagues, clients, friends, and family.
Amongst the many options available, the most popular video conferencing app is Google Meet. According to Google, the Meet product witnessed 30x demand in the early months of the pandemic. Soon it started hosting up to 100 million participants each day.
But if you’re just starting out, this article will teach you how to access Google Meet and understand some basic Google Meet features.
Photo by Matilda Wormwood
Table of Contents
How to Access Your Google Meet Meeting
Start a Meeting from Meet
Start a Meeting from Gmail
Start a Meeting from Your Phone/Tablet
Understanding How The Google Meet Works
How to Access Your Google Meet Meeting
You can access Google Meet on any modern web browser such as Chrome, Firefox, Safari, or Microsoft Edge. To access Google Meet on your phone or tablet, you’ll have to download the Google Meet mobile app from Google Play Store or Apple App Store.
You’ll need a Google account to start or join a meeting. Your Gmail ID is your access to your Google Account.
Start a Meeting from Meet
Enter meet.google.com in your web browser.
Here you can either enter the code or the link your team member has sent you to join a meeting or you can start a new meeting.
If you choose to start a new meeting, you’ll get 3 options:
1. Create a meeting for later — You’ll get a link to the meeting. You can copy this link and send it to the people you want to invite to the meeting.
2. Start an instant meeting — You’ll be instantly redirected to the video meeting screen. Here you’ll see the invite code that you can use to invite other participants.
3. Schedule in Google Calendar — You’ll be redirected to the Google Calendar where you can create an Event for your meeting. Add all the necessary information like the date, time, and a small description. To send invites to the meeting, click on the “Add Guests” option and enter the names or emails of the people you wish to invite.
Start a Meeting from Gmail
Open Gmail on your computer, you’ll see an option of “New meeting” or “Join a meeting” in the Meet section in the left sidebar.
To join an existing meeting, you’ll be asked to enter the meeting code provided by the organizer. To start a new meeting, you’ll get a meeting code that you can share with your team members to invite them to join the meeting.
Start a Meeting from Your Phone/Tablet
Download and install the Google Meet app from Google Play Store or Apple App Store. Once you open the app, tap the option of “New meeting”. Here you’ll get similar options to start an instant meeting, create a meeting for later, or schedule a meeting in Google calendar.
Understanding How The Google Meet Works
Google Meet is an enterprise-grade video conferencing platform. Their team has rolled out multiple upgrades to make their interface engaging, safe, and user-friendly.
To get started, let’s understand the most basic functionalities of their user interface.
When you enter a meeting, you’ll be greeted with a video feed of all the participants in different tiles. These participant tiles are designed to improve interaction and put everyone at your eye level when you look into the camera.
These tiles are also highly responsive. When someone is speaking, the outline of their tile turns blue and the speaker indicator appears on their tile. Similarly, when someone is on mute, a mute indicator appears on their tile.
All the meeting controls are placed in the bottom bar of the meeting window. In the very left corner, you’ll see the name of the meeting. In the middle, you’ll get controls to turn on/off the microphone, turn on/off the camera, turn on/off captions, share a tab, window, or your screen, or end the call.
Google Meet offers many more features like changing layout, applying visual effects, and starting a whiteboard. You can access these by clicking on the three dots that appear in the bottom bar next to the end call button.
On the right side of the screen, you’ll get options to view meeting details, add participants, start in-call, and manage other host controls.
Need More Help with Google Meet?
Although Google has tried its best to make its app easy to use, it can feel overwhelming for a beginner. But don’t worry, we’re here to help! Book a call with us via Calendly. We’ll help you design an awesome website for your local business.
Comentários