Google Meet

Google Meet (formerly known as Hangouts Meet and Google Duo) is a video-communication service developed by Google.[5] It is one of two apps that constitute the replacement for Google Hangouts, the other being Google Chat.[6] It replaced the consumer-facing Google Duo in late 2022, with the Duo mobile app being renamed Meet and the original Meet app set to be phased out.[7]

Google Meet
Developer(s)Google
Initial releaseMarch 9, 2017 (2017-03-09)
Stable release(s)
Android, original2022.09.18.475186237 / October 6, 2022 (2022-10-06) [1]
iOS, original99.0.0 / October 3, 2022 (2022-10-03)[2]
Android, Duo177.0 / October 14, 2022 (2022-10-14) [3]
iOS, Duo177.0 / October 17, 2022 (2022-10-17)[4]
PlatformAndroid, iOS, Web
PredecessorGoogle Duo
TypeCommunication software
LicenseFreemium
Websitemeet.google.com

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the use of Meet grew by a factor of 30 between January and April 2020, with 100 million users a day accessing Meet, compared to 200 million daily uses for Zoom as of the last week of April 2020.[8][9][10]

History
Logo of Google Meet used from March 2017 to October 2020

After being invite-only and quietly releasing an iOS app[11] in February 2017, Google formally launched Meet in March 2017.[12] The service was unveiled as a video conferencing app for up to 30 participants, described as an enterprise-friendly version of Hangouts. It has launched with a web app, an Android app, and an iOS app.

While Google Meet introduced the above features to upgrade the original Hangouts application, some standard Hangouts features were deprecated, including viewing attendees and chat simultaneously. The number of video feeds allowed at one time was also reduced to 8 (while up to 4 feeds can be shown in the "tiles" layout), prioritizing those attendees who most recently used their microphone. Additionally, features such as the chatbox were changed to overlay the video feeds, rather than resizing the latter to fit. Hangouts was scheduled to cease operation in the first half of 2021. Google suspended its usual 60-minute limit for unpaid accounts.

In August 2020, it was reported that Google was planning to eventually merge Google Duo with the business-oriented Google Meet.[13] In December 2021 this objective had been dropped, but Duo continued to be available and updated.[14][15] In June 2022, Google reversed course and announced that Duo would, in fact, be merged into Meet.[16] The merger began in August, with the Duo mobile app being renamed Meet. The Google Duo web app now also redirects to the Google Meet web app.[7] The original Meet app is intended to be phased out over the next months.

Features

Features of Google Meet include:

  • Two-way and multi-way audio and video calls with a resolution up to 720p
  • An accompanying chat
  • Call encryption between all users[17]
  • Noise-canceling audio filter
  • Low-light mode for video
  • Ability to join meetings through a web browser or through Android or iOS apps
  • Integration with Google Calendar and Google Contacts for one-click meeting calls
  • Screen-sharing to present documents, spreadsheets, presentations, or (if using a browser) other browser tabs[17]
  • "Knock Knock" shows a live preview of the caller before the recipient picks up, which Google says is to "make calls feel more like an invitation rather than an interruption".[18]
  • Ability to call into meetings using a dial-in number in the US
  • Hosts being able to deny entry and remove users during a call.[19]
  • Ability to raise and lower hand
  • Video filters, effects and augmented reality masks.[20]

Google Workspace accounts

Features for users who use Google Workspace accounts include:

  • Up to 100 members per call for Google Workspace Starter users, up to 150 for Google Workspace Business users, and up to 250 for Google Workspace Enterprise users.[17][21][22][23]
  • Ability to call into meetings with a dial-in number from selected countries.[17]
  • Password-protected dial-in numbers for Google Workspace Enterprise edition users.
  • Real-time closed captioning based on speech recognition.
  • Background blurring and virtual backgrounds.
  • Real-time translations of the automatically generated closed captions[24]

In March 2020, Google temporarily extended advanced features present in the enterprise edition to anyone using Google Workspace or G Suite for Education[25] editions. In January 2022, these features were removed for educators and workspace users unless they subscribed.[26]

Gmail accounts

In March 2020, Google rolled out Meet to personal (free) Google accounts.[27]

Free Meet calls can only have a single host and up to 100 participants, compared to the 250-caller limit for Google Workspace users[28][19] and the 25-participant limit for Hangouts.[29] Unlike business calls with Meet, consumer calls are not recorded and stored, and Google states that consumer data from Meet will not be used for advertisement targeting.[30] While call data is reportedly not being used for advertising purposes, based on an analysis of Meet's privacy policy, Google reserves the right to collect data on call duration, who is participating, and participants' IP addresses.[31]

Users need a Google account to initiate calls[32][33] and like Google Workspace users, anyone with a Google account is able to start a Meet call from within Gmail.[34][35]

Technologies

Google Meet is optimized for low-bandwidth mobile networks through WebRTC and uses QUIC over UDP, while the AV1 codec is used by default for video calls in low bandwidth situations[36][37][38]. Optimization is further achieved through the degradation of video quality through monitoring network quality.[39]

Google Meet uses proprietary protocols for video, audio and data transcoding. However, Google has partnered with the company Pexip to provide interoperability between Google Meet and SIP/H.323-based conferencing equipment and software.[40]

In February 2021, Google announced a new very low-bitrate codec for speech compression called "Lyra", that can operate with network speeds as low as 3kbps that avoids robotic voice audio. Google trained machine learning models on thousands of hours of data in order to create the method used by Lyra on compression and transmittion of voice signals.[41]

For packet loss concealment Meet uses WaveNetEQ, a generative model based on DeepMind/Google AI’s WaveRNN.[42]

According to a technical study commissioned by Google from Signals Research Group in 2017 that compared degradation time over 3G, LTE, and Wi-Fi, Meet (Duo at that time) provided the highest voice and video quality of any service or app.[43][44]

Hardware

In May 2020, Asus unveiled videoconferencing hardware designed for use with Google Meet in conference room settings, which includes a "Meet Compute System" mini PC, and a dedicated camera and microphone.[45]

On September 15, 2020, Google unveiled Meet Series One, in partnership with Lenovo, which includes a Meet Compute System with Edge TPU, "Smart Camera", "Smart Audio Bar" with noise reduction, and a choice of remote control or touchscreen that supports the Google Assistant.[46]

See also

References
  1. "Google Meet (original) APKs". APKMirror.
  2. "Google Meet (original)". App Store.
  3. "Google Meet (formerly Google Duo) APKs". APKMirror.
  4. "Google Meet". App Store.
  5. Johnston, Scott (March 9, 2017). "Meet the new Hangouts". Google. Archived from the original on March 14, 2017. Retrieved March 15, 2017.
  6. de Looper, Christian. "Google will begin shutting down the classic Hangouts app in October". DigitalTrends.com. Archived from the original on August 4, 2019. Retrieved September 5, 2019.
  7. Li, Abner (2022-11-04). "Google Duo icon is gone for good on Android, web app gets Meet branding [U]". 9to5Google. Retrieved 2022-11-04.
  8. Boland, Hannah. "Google launches free version of Meet in bid to topple Zoom". The Telegraph. Retrieved 5 May 2020.
  9. Lardinois, Frederic. "Google is making Meet free for everyone". TechCrunch. Retrieved 5 May 2020.
  10. Lerman, Rachel. "Big Tech is coming for Zoom: Google makes video chatting service Meet free". The Washington Post. Retrieved 5 May 2020.
  11. Perez, Sarah (February 28, 2017). "Google quietly launches Meet, an enterprise-friendly version of Hangouts". TechCrunch. AOL. Archived from the original on March 2, 2017. Retrieved March 2, 2017.
  12. Johnston, Scott (March 6, 2017). "Meet the new Hangouts". Google. Archived from the original on March 9, 2017. Retrieved January 2, 2017.
  13. Lee, Abner (August 14, 2020). "Sources: Google plans to eventually replace Duo with Meet". 9to5Google. Archived from the original on August 15, 2021. Retrieved October 22, 2016.
  14. Li, Abner (December 16, 2021). "Scoop: Google Duo development & planned consumer-focused merger with Meet fizzles out". 9to5Google. Archived from the original on December 16, 2021. Retrieved December 21, 2021.
  15. "Google Duo". Google Play. Retrieved 25 May 2022. App updated 23 May 2022
  16. Pierce, David (June 1, 2022). "Google is combining Meet and Duo into a single app for voice and video calls". The Verge. Archived from the original on June 1, 2022. Retrieved June 1, 2022.
  17. "Compare G Suite products - Meet". gsuite.google.com. Retrieved 2020-04-29.
  18. Uberti, Justin (August 16, 2016). "Meet Google Duo, a simple 1-to-1 video calling app for everyone". The Keyword Google Blog. Retrieved January 9, 2017.
  19. Boland, Hannah (April 29, 2020). "Google launches free version of Meet in bid to topple Zoom" – via www.telegraph.co.uk.
  20. Porter, Jon (8 July 2021). "Google Meet adds Duo-style filters, AR masks, and effects". The Verge. Retrieved 8 July 2021.
  21. "Compare Meet with classic Hangouts - G Suite Admin Help". support.google.com. Google Inc. Archived from the original on March 11, 2020. Retrieved February 29, 2020.
  22. Lardinois, Frederic. "Google Meet launches improved Zoom-like tiled layout, low-light mode and more". TechCrunch. Retrieved 5 May 2020.
  23. Schroeder, Stan. "Google Meet takes on Zoom by going completely free for everyone". Mashable.
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  25. "G Suite for Education". Archived from the original on 2020-10-20. Retrieved 2020-10-16.
  26. Grant, Nico (2022-06-20). "Google Says It's Time for Longtime Small-Business Users to Pay Up". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-11-04.
  27. "Free video conferencing tools". Google Cloud Blog.
  28. Dave, Paresh. "Google makes Meet video conferencing free to all users, challenging Zoom". Reuters. Reuters. Retrieved 5 May 2020.
  29. Schroeder, Stan. "Google Meet takes on Zoom by going completely free for everyone". Mashable. Mashable, Inc. Retrieved 5 May 2020.
  30. "Google makes Meet video conferencing free to all users, challenging Zoom". April 30, 2020 – via www.reuters.com.
  31. Gartenberg, Chaim. "Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, and WebEx are collecting more customer data than they appear to be". The Verge. VoxMedia. Retrieved 5 May 2020.
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  33. "Google Meet premium video conferencing—free for everyone". 2020-04-29. Retrieved 2020-04-29.
  34. Peters, Jay. "Google will add Zoom-like gallery view to Meet and will let Meet users take calls from Gmail". The Verge. Vox Media. Retrieved 5 May 2020.
  35. Finnegan, Matthew. "Google's Meet video app gets Gmail integration". Computer World. IDG. Retrieved 5 May 2020.
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  39. Bohn, Dieter (May 18, 2016). "Google Duo makes mobile video calls fast and simple". The Verge. Vox Media. Retrieved October 21, 2016.
  40. "Google Hangouts to Anything Video Conferencing Blog". VideoCentric. June 18, 2018. Archived from the original on September 5, 2019. Retrieved September 12, 2019.
  41. "Lyra: A New Very Low-Bitrate Codec for Speech Compression". Google AI Blog. Retrieved 2022-07-04.
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  43. "Google Duo - Free High-Quality Video Calling App". Google Duo. Retrieved 2022-07-04.
  44. Dueling with the Duo: A Third-Party Performance Analysis of Seven Popular Video Chat Applications Operating in 3G, LTE, and Wi-Fi Networks Under a Wide Range of Radio Conditions. Signals Research Group (Report). 27 August 2017.
  45. Peters, Jay (2020-05-18). "Asus reveals new Google Meet videoconferencing hardware for offices". The Verge. Retrieved 2020-09-15.
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