What is Google Meet? Video Calls, Virtual Meetings, and Conferences

  • 29 January 2025
  • 11 mins read

Table of Content

Table of Contents

You can stay in touch with colleagues, friends, and family members across distances with Google Meet, which is a reliable solution to connect with people, fostering virtual meetings and conferences. This guide will reveal the ways to enhance your communication and offer valuable insights you won’t find anywhere else. 

What is Google Meet?

Google Meet is a leading video conferencing platform that allows individuals, businesses, and organizations to hold virtual meetings and conferences efficiently. If you are looking to host a business presentation or class or catch up with friends, Google Meet is the best solution for video communication. 

Best Features of Google Meet

Explore the features of Google Meet to make the best out of it, making communication quicker and easier:

Quality Audio & Video

Google Meet prioritizes clear communication with its high-definition (HD) video and clear audio, offering a smooth collaboration among larger groups. It can adjust the video quality automatically based on your internet connection.

Security 

Google Meet offers encrypted meetings, ensuring that personal and professional conversations remain secure.

Accessibility 

Google Meet has a user-friendly interface, allowing you to join the meeting directly through a browser rather than downloading extra tools or any other software. It’s easily accessible across various devices like smartphones, tablets, and desktops. 

Full Integration

Google Meet seamlessly integrates with Google Workspace, such as Gmail, Google Calendar, and Google Drive. You can easily schedule your meetings, share your files, and invite participants through these apps.

Large-Scale Meetings

Unlike other video conferencing platforms, Google Meet hosts up to 100 participants for free. Users of Google Workspace have a limit of 250 participants, allowing them to host large webinars and corporate meetings.

Screen Sharing & Recording

Google Meet allows screen sharing with participants to present slides or collaborate on documents. You can also record your meetings to access them later.  

How Google Meet Works

Using Google Meet is easier than you thought. This guide will help you out in everything you should know: 

Sign in to Your Google Account

Sign in to your Google account, whether personal or work-related.

Access and Set Up Video Meetings

You can start an instant meeting or schedule it for later. To start an instant meeting, click “New Meeting” and start the meeting. To schedule the meeting, click “New Meeting,” set a date, time, and title, and invite participants to join the meeting on the assigned date. 

Invite Participants

When you’ve set up a meeting, you can invite participants through email or by sending the meeting link. 

Joining a Google Meet Call

Click on the link you shared to join the meeting or enter the meeting code. Google Meet will prompt you to allow using the camera and microphone. Click “Allow” to proceed. Select “Join” to enter the meeting.

Start the Meeting

When you’ve started the call/meeting, you can control various options, like muting/unmuting your microphone, turning your camera on/off, sharing your screen, and managing participants. 

Why Use Google Meet

You might be wondering why to use Google Meet when you have other options for video conferencing. Explore the reasons to use Google Meet:

Accessibility 

You can easily access Google Meet from anywhere worldwide with an active internet connection.

Integration 

Integration with Google Workspace makes Google Meet the best option for working collaboratively in terms of co-editing or sharing documents.

Ease of Use

Google Meet has a user-friendly interface, which helps users access it readily, even if they’re not tech-savvy.

Security 

Google Meet offers robust security measures, ensuring that meetings are safe and secure.

Google Meet Security 

Google Meet maintains privacy and security, offering features to keep your meetings safe and confidential. Here’s a breakdown:

  1. All the data shared during a Google Meet call is encrypted, protecting your conversations from unauthorized people.
  2. You need a meeting link or code to enter a meeting, ensuring that unwanted guests can’t enter the meeting.
  3. The waiting room feature of Google Meet allows the host to screen the participants before entering the meeting.
  4. Google Meet allows you to report disruptive or inappropriate behavior for further actions.

Google Meet Pricing Tiers

Google Meet is free to use; however, some of the features aren’t available on the free plan. The pricing plans are based on the users like individuals, businesses, or organizations. Let’s take a quick look at the pricing tiers of Google Meet.

  1. The free plan costs $0 and offers up to 100 participants per meeting with a one-hour time limit. 
  2. Google Workspace Individual plan costs $9.99/month, offering up to 100 participants per meeting with a 24-hour time limit. It has an advanced feature of meeting controls like noise cancellation, Q&A, and polls.
  3. Google Workspace Business has various pricing and plans. Business Starter costs $6 per user every month, Business Standard costs $12 per user every month, and Business Plus costs $18 per user every month. 
  4. Key features of Business Starter include up to 100 participants and 30 GB of cloud storage. Business Standard offers up to 150 participants, recordings, and 2 TB cloud storage. 
  5. Business Plus offers up to 250 participants, tracking attendance, 5 TB of cloud storage, and advanced security.

What is Google Meet Companion Mode?

Google Meet companion mode allows participants to join the meeting from a second device to improve collaboration. It provides features like live captions, screen sharing, and in-meeting chats while using audio and video from the primary device. This mode is best for hybrid meetings for better interaction without audio issues.  lick on the “+” icon, choose From URL, paste the copied URL, and click Add Calendar.lide with too many checkboxes. Focus on key points to keep the slide clean and easy to read.

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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

  • What is Google Meet used for?

    Plus

    Google Meet is used to host virtual meetings, video conferences, and collaborative sessions, both for individuals and organizations.

  • How does Google Meet work on Reddit?

    Plus

    Google Meet links can be shared on Reddit for discussions or group meetings, allowing people to join directly through the platform.

  • What happens after 60 mins of Google Meet?

    Plus

    In the free Google Meet plan, the call ends after 60 minutes. You have to restart or change the plan for an extended call time.

  • Is Google Meet better than Zoom?

    Plus

    Google Meet is better for users of Google Workspace, while Zoom has more advanced features for larger meetings.

Wrap Up!

Google Meet is a good option for both personal and professional use. Google Meet is one of the best choices for video conferencing, offering a wide variety of features, a friendly user interface, and Google Workspace integration. It’s a reliable option for all types of communications, looking for a business meeting, hosting a class, or catching up with friends.