Google is introducing the ability to make VoIP calls within Gmail. Gmail users will be able to make and receive audio and video conversations via Google Meet using the Gmail mobile or web apps. While the standalone Google Meet app will not have the capability at this time, it is likely to receive it in the future.
The new calling feature also eliminates the need for users to produce a meeting link before making a call using Google Meet, since they may now make a call directly.
“Our intention is to bring Meet calling to all the natural endpoints in Workspace where you’d initiate an ad-hoc call including chats, people cards, and Spaces, but this will come first to one-to-one chats within the Gmail mobile app”, Sanaz Ahari, Senior Director of Product Management at Google said.
In addition, the firm is releasing its Spaces function. Spaces is a Slack-like tool that allows users to interact through group discussions directly from the Gmail client. Google previously integrated these Workspace capabilities into Gmail with new Chats and Meet sections, and now a Spaces part will be available as well.
The Spaces tab, which was announced earlier this year, will be connected with other Google services such as Calendar, Docs, Sheets, Meet, Slides, Drive, and others. Spaces makes it easy to share links, documents, and files from various platforms, and the service keeps a complete record of all talks in the group chat.
Meanwhile, in November, Meet will receive a ‘Companion mode,’ which will allow users to host or join a meeting from a conference room using their laptop without causing extra audio layers due to other devices in the room. Members will be able to use their laptops to share files and documents from their own devices during meetings with this feature.
By the end of the year, the dedicated Google Meet app will have a live-translated captions feature. Meetings are being translated from English to German, Spanish, French, and Portuguese by the company. Google Calendar also gets a new update that lets team members set their location for each day of the week, whether it’s at home, at work, or somewhere else.
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