Google Meet rolling out optimized ‘On-the-Go’ mode

Abner Li | Nov 2 2023 - 1:28 pm PT

Google Meet app in Play Store on Android

As we previously detailed, Google Meet is adding an On-the-Go mode that offers an optimized meeting experience when you’re mobile.

Google Meet on mobile will detect when you’re in motion (walking, in a car, riding public transportation, etc.) and prompt you to enable On-the-Go. A brief countdown activates the mode if you take no action.

“Big, easy-to-press buttons” for mute/unmute, hand raise, audio device/source selection, and end call appear in the bottom half of the screen. Above that, you get meeting details, including how many participants there are and who is the active speaker.

Video is turned off to save bandwidth, with no option to send or receive feeds. You do have the ability to “Show presentation” and view that in fullscreen. There’s also support for breakout rooms.

You can “Turn off On-the-Go” at the very top, while you can go to the app’s Meeting settings to deactivate the suggestions. If it’s not activated automatically, you can enable it manually at any time from More controls > On-the-Go.

This feature is rolling out now and will be “available to all Google Workspace customers and users with personal Google accounts.” We’re seeing it live on Android today (Gmail and the standalone apps).