In the transition to Meet, Google got rid of “Hangouts on Air,” or the ability to livestream video calls directly to YouTube for anybody to view. That feature is coming back, starting for education customers this year, but until then, Google is extending who can see internal Meet livestreams.
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Following the web rollout, the Google Meet redesign is now coming to dedicated video calling hardware, like Chromebases. This is meant to ensure a consistent experience and workflow across all platforms.
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In addition to different applications being accessible all on one page, Google’s vision for the future of productivity involves having those services be tightly integrated together. The latest example of this will see Google suggestions for 1:1s in Chat based on Calendar.
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Gmail has seen a number of big changes in recent weeks, but Google is now rolling out a smaller one to the web client that better surfaces the advanced search capability to end users.
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Last month, Google started rolling out an online revamp of Chat to free consumer accounts as part of the classic Hangouts migration. That Google Chat web redesign is now coming to paid Workspace users over the coming weeks with a number of enhancements.
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Following a slew of Workspace developments in recent weeks, Google Contacts is getting visual tweaks and more information that’s particularly beneficial for people within a company.
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Google’s fast iteration on Meet continues with a series of upcoming new features for education customers. One particular highlight for Google Meet “in the coming months” is the return of YouTube livestreams.
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Google for Education today hosted The Anywhere School 2021 to reveal the latest capabilities for teachers and students. Updates include PIN login for Chromebooks and Classroom add-ons, as well as Google Meet.
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Following the official launch last week, Google Chat is picking up improved search. Starting on Android, the experience is adding filters to “help you find artifacts like files and links more easily.”
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The Hand Raise feature in Google Meet is getting a slew of updates over the coming weeks. Everything from the end user to host experience is seeing an upgrade.
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In addition to an upcoming Companion Mode, Google is bringing the background noise cancellation feature in Meet to more users and making it the default behavior.
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In addition to Gmail, Meet, and other Workspace announcements today, Google Docs and Drive will soon get Client-side encryption where “customer data is indecipherable to Google.”
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Google has been rapidly iterating on Meet in the past year, and that’s continuing today alongside updates to Gmail and Workspace. Google Meet is getting a “Companion Mode” to provide a second-screen experience as part of a push to make hybrid meetings more equitable.
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Back in October, G Suite became Google Workspace for enterprise and later education, as well as nonprofit, customers. Google Workspace is now available “for everyone,” meaning that regular users with free accounts can access a more integrated productivity experience that merges Gmail, Chat, and Meet.
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A key part of Google’s integrated vision for productivity is routing everything through the Gmail apps. As part of Workspace becoming available “for everyone,” Gmail is getting streamlined navigation on the web, while Google Chat’s “Rooms” will soon be called “Spaces.”
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Google is making it easier to review, reply, and resolve comments in Sheets with a new consolidated sidebar that matches the one already available in Docs.
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In addition to rolling out a redesigned web UI, Meet is introducing what Google calls “gentle quality notifications” aimed at giving users recommendations on how they can improve performance and call quality.
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In April, Google announced that Meet on the web was getting a redesign with streamlined bottom bar controls and other changes. It’s now rolling out for the first users and will be available for all in June.
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At I/O 2021, Google announced several “Smart canvas” features that will better integrate the company’s various productivity apps. The ability to present from Docs, Sheets, and Slides directly to Google Meet is now rolling out.
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I/O 2021 introduced a flurry of productivity-oriented features to bring Workspace apps closer together. Gmail is now adding a convenient “Save to Google Photos” shortcut for consumers.
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Last week, Google announced “Smart Canvas” as a set of features to boost the interconnectedness of Docs and other Workspace apps. Google Docs is now getting a low-hanging capability to “position an image in front of or behind text.”
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In unveiling “Smart canvas” at I/O 2021, Google called it the “next big step” in the future of work. The goal is to create a more integrated and interactive Workspace experience, especially in Google Docs.
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In pushing Meet adoption over the past year, Google made it possible to schedule a video call from nearly all of its main Workspace apps. The company today fully detailed when meeting codes for Google Meet expire.
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In addition to a big web update set for next month, Google Meet is picking up a new “limit data usage” setting on Android and iOS. It allows users to further optimize video call quality for their current device and network conditions.
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