Google Meet wants to make video meetings bigger and better — by putting them on your TV. The video conferencing app is rolling out to Chromecast and Chromecast-enabled devices in the next few days.
It's the latest of a number of new features that Google Meet has added in the last couple of months to better compete against the likes of Zoom. Meet has become a very popular video calling service for people working from home and social distancing during the pandemic.
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Google Meet already became available on Nest Hub Max earlier this year and the company said in a blog post, "It just felt right to expand Meet to even more screens in your home. With more people spending time at home these days, Meet provides the opportunity to stay connected with family, friends, co-workers, and others."
Meet on Chromecast works exclusively with the Chrome browser on a desktop or laptop computer. In fact, Meet still uses the camera, microphone and audio from the computer to facilitate the call. Essentially, the TV becomes the display for the meeting.
Users will need the latest version of Chrome as well as a supported Chromecast model, which includes the Chromecast Ultra, both the current and second-gen Chromecasts and Android TV. Google says performance on TVs may vary.
To use the new feature, users will see an option to cast a meeting before joining. They can also cast while a call is in progress by clicking on the three-dot icon and selecting "cast this meeting."
The ability to cast meetings onto a television sets Meet apart from competitors like Zoom and Microsoft Teams. It's another way Google hopes to differentiate Meet. Recent updates have seen Meet integrate with Gmail and the addition of Zoom-like backgrounds for certain customers.
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