Google Meet facts for kids
.svg){kind=logo} |
|||||||||||
Google Meet screenshot
|
|||||||||||
| Developer(s) | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Initial release | March 9, 2017 | ||||||||||
| Stable release(s) [±] | |||||||||||
|
|||||||||||
| Platform | Android, Android TV, ChromeOS, Fuchsia, iOS, iPadOS, Web | ||||||||||
| Predecessor | Google Duo Google Hangouts |
||||||||||
| Type | Communication software | ||||||||||
| License | Freemium | ||||||||||
Google Meet is a popular video calling service created by Google. It lets people talk to each other using video and audio over the internet. Google Meet is part of a group of apps that replaced an older Google service called Google Hangouts. It also took over from Google Duo, another video calling app, on November 1, 2022. The Duo app on phones was even renamed to Meet.
During the early part of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, Google made Meet available for everyone to use, not just businesses. This made Meet much more popular. Between January and April 2020, its use grew 30 times! About 100 million people used Meet every day during that time.
Contents
How Google Meet Started
.png){kind=icon}
Google Meet first launched quietly in February 2017 with an app for iPhones. Google officially introduced it in March 2017. It was designed as a video meeting app for up to 30 people. It was seen as a more business-friendly version of Google Hangouts. You could use it on computers, Android phones, and iOS devices like iPhones and iPads.
Google Meet brought new features to improve on the old Hangouts app. However, some things from Hangouts were removed or changed. For example, you couldn't see all attendees and the chat at the same time anymore. The number of video feeds shown at once was also reduced. On November 1, 2022, Google Hangouts was officially stopped and replaced by Meet and Google Chat.
In August 2020, there were talks about combining Google Duo with Google Meet. This idea was put on hold in December 2021. But in June 2022, Google decided to go ahead with the merger. The process started in August 2022, and the Duo mobile app became Google Meet. The old Google Meet app was gradually phased out.
Where You Can Use Google Meet
Google Meet works on many different devices. You can use it on Android phones and tablets, as well as iOS devices like iPhones and iPads. It also works as a web application in your internet browser.
In 2022, Google Meet became available on Android TV devices. This allowed users to make calls from their TVs. It also worked on Samsung Smart TVs starting October 18, 2022. However, this feature for Samsung Smart TVs was stopped on March 9, 2024.
What Google Meet Can Do
Google Meet has many helpful features for connecting with others:
- You can make video and audio calls with one person or many people.
- Video quality can be up to 720p or 1080p, depending on your account type.
- There's a chat box to send messages during calls.
- Calls are encrypted, which means they are kept private and secure.
- Some versions have a noise-canceling filter to make your voice clearer.
- A low-light video filter helps you look better in dim lighting.
- You can use a shared whiteboard, reactions, polls, and Q&A features.
- It's easy to share Google documents, spreadsheets, and presentations.
- You can share your computer screen or a specific browser tab.
- There are fun "Team activities" like watching YouTube or Spotify together. You can also play mini-games like UNO! Mobile and Kahoot!.
- Google Meet connects with other Google apps like Google Calendar and Google Contacts. This makes it easy to start meetings with one click.
- You can see a live preview of who is calling before you answer.
- You can join meetings by dialing a phone number.
- Meeting hosts can control who joins, remove users, and manage microphones and cameras.
- You can use video filters, effects, backgrounds, and augmented reality masks.
- You can join meetings using a web browser or the Android or iOS apps.
Features for Google Workspace Accounts
If you use Google Meet with a Google Workspace account (often used by schools or businesses), you get extra features:
- Up to 100 people can join a call for Starter users. Business users can have up to 150, and Enterprise users up to 250.
- You can dial into meetings from many countries.
- You can record the meeting to watch later.
- Enterprise users can have password-protected dial-in numbers.
- Real-time closed captioning (subtitles) are created automatically from speech.
- You can blur your background or use virtual backgrounds.
- Automatically generated captions can be translated in real-time.
In March 2020, Google temporarily gave advanced features to all Google Workspace users. These features were removed for many users in January 2022 unless they subscribed to a higher plan.
Features for Personal Accounts
In March 2020, Google made Meet available for free to anyone with a personal Google account.
- Free Meet calls can have one host and up to 100 participants.
- Unlike business calls, free consumer calls are not recorded or stored.
- Google says that data from free Meet calls is not used for showing you ads.
- You need a Google account to start calls.
- Anyone with a Google account can start a Meet call directly from Gmail.
How Google Meet Works (Technology)
Google Meet uses special technologies to make video and audio calls work smoothly. It uses VP8 and VP9 for video and Opus for audio. In April 2020, Google announced plans to support the AV1 video codec. In February 2021, Google introduced a new audio technology called "Lyra". Lyra helps voice calls sound clear even with very slow internet speeds (as low as 3 kilobits per second). It uses machine learning to make voices sound natural, not robotic.
Google Meet is designed to work well even on slow mobile networks. It can adjust video quality to keep the call going if your internet connection isn't strong.
Devices for Google Meet
Companies have made special hardware to improve Google Meet meetings in conference rooms.
- In May 2020, Asus released hardware for Google Meet. This included a small computer called a "Meet Compute System" and a special camera and microphone.
- On September 15, 2020, Google partnered with Lenovo to launch Meet Series One. This system includes a "Smart Camera" and a "Smart Audio Bar" with noise reduction. It also comes with a remote control or a touchscreen that works with Google Assistant.
Other Similar Apps
- Microsoft Teams
- StreamYard
See also
In Spanish: Google Meet para niños
