Google Meet is getting a bunch of new features for its free and Workspace users that are designed to make it easier to control meetings. The search giant mentioned that the new features are some of the highly requested features by its users. They include the ability to add up to 25 co-hosts per meeting, new moderation and safety features, and an updated Quick access setting. It is worth noting that Google also mentions that not all features would be available for all users.
Through a post on its Workspace blog, Google announced that Google Meet users will be able to grant rights for hosting a meeting with up to 25 co-hosts. It can be done by granting these users Hosts controls in the People panel. All the co-hosts will get to access and utilise the controls available with the host.
Hosts and co-hosts now have the ability to limit who can share screens, send chat messages, mute all participants with one click, end the meeting for all, and control who can join the meeting and how through the Quick access settings.
When Quick access settings are turned on, participants from the same domain can automatically join the meeting from the mobile or desktop Google Meet client and by dialling in. The Quick access setting would be turned on by default. However, if it is turned off, the participants would have to wait for the host to join the meeting, only invited participants would be able to join others would have to be granted access to join — and no anonymous user will be able to join the meeting. Lastly, with Quick access turned off, only the host will be able to dial out of the meeting.
The search giant has also updated the People panel by adding the ability to search for a participant in the meeting. This will allow hosts to quickly navigate to a user to either mute their microphone, remove them from the meeting, or grant them co-host privileges. Co-hosts can be identified with a security shield icon.
Google Meet on Android and the Web will start getting a gradual rollout of the update from August 16, while iOS users would be getting the features starting August 30.
The moderation and safety controls would be available to all Google Meet users. The Quick access setting would be available to all users barring Google Workspace Individual and personal Google Account users.
Similarly, the Quick access settings feature would be available for Google Workspace Essentials, Enterprise Essentials, Enterprise Standard, Enterprise Plus, Business Standard, Business Plus, Education Fundamentals, Education Standard, Education Plus, and Teaching and Learning Upgrade customers. However, it will not be available for Google Workspace Business Starter, Frontline, and Nonprofits, as well as G Suite Basic and Business customers.
