With the rising popularity of video conferencing, Google has decided to join the fun by launching their own platform, Google Meet.
This is after security and privacy issues began to emerge for Zoom. Google hopes to acquire users who have since been disenfranchised by Zoom's lapses in judgment.
Google is opening up its Google Meet videoconferencing service to anyone, instead of just having the enterprise and education customers through G Suite. Now, anyone with a Google account can hold free meetings with up to 100 people with no time limit until Sept. 30.
However, Google's account requisite is difficult. People need to be logged in to join a meeting, so meetings can be better controlled by the hosts.
Also, Google will introduce other safety measures. People added to a meeting via a calendar invite will be automatically be directed to a green room when they try to join. And they will only be let in when approved by the host. The free version will not offer landline dial-in numbers for meetings.
These security features are Google's answers to the issues being experienced by Zoom which, in the last few months, gained popularity among those who are working and studying from home.
Let Google Hangouts Retire
In the past, Google has doubted itself when it came to conferencing and messaging products. Google Meet used to be called Hangouts Meet, which the company is now trying to veer away from. Similarly, Hangouts Chat was also renamed to Google Chat.
Also, Hangouts Videochat, which is another legacy product, will also be switched to Google Meet. Until then, there will only be one platform for both consumers and enterprises.
Certainly, Google's steady progress has been a big benefit for enterprise clients, so it is now time for the tech company to fully retire the Hangouts brand.
Moreover, Google now supports the Gallery view where all participants are shown in a single screen which Zoom largely popularized. This new feature is available in both mobile apps and desktop browsers.
Capitalizing on Zoom's Security Issues
Unlike its competitors, Google is keeping G Suite and its related products as web-first apps. This allows them to be easily updated and managed than native Windows or macOS apps. However, the approach can lead to losing the meeting in a sea of tabs or accidentally leaving it.
Meanwhile, Google is unveiling a new tier for G Suite called "G Suite Essentials," which includes Meet and Google Drive, but not Gmail. All current G Suite customers will still have free access to Google Meet until September 30.
Both the regular and G Suite Meet accounts are not integrated into Gmail. Google is also fully utilizing Gmail's power to promote its video conferencing app.
Overall, Zoom may have received all the popularity. However, that will dwindle down unless it fixes all its security issues. It shouldn't be complacent because Google, Microsoft, and even Facebook, will make sure it will no longer take the biggest slice of the market.
