You’ve probably heard of a little company called Google.
From time to time, they rock the boat by launching a new product that targets a specific market, and that’s what Google Meet – otherwise known as Hangouts Meet – is all about.
This latest branch of the Google Hangouts family is set on becoming the default videoconferencing tool for businesses.
It represents an improvement over other similar applications, and since it’s a Google product, you know you’re in good hands.
In this article, we’ll first explain the evolution of Google Hangouts so far.
After that, we’ll discuss how Google Meet came to be, its primary features, and why you should consider using it.
We have a lot of ground to cover, so let’s get started!
The Evolution of Google Hangouts
Google Hangouts is a communications service that can handle videoconferencing, instant messaging, and Voice Over IP (VOIP) duties.
In short, it’s a telecommunication swiss-army knife.
The service was launched in 2013, when Google decided to merge several of its existing products into a single platform.
These products included Google Talk, Google+ Messenger, and Hangouts (which only handled video at the time).
Back then, Google was facing some heavy competition in the field of instant messaging from other giants such as Facebook and WhatsApp.
Therefore, it made sense to consolidate its suite of communications products under a single banner, to lure in more users.
Almost three years after Hangouts emerged, Google announced two new apps out of the blue: Google Allo and Duo.
Both apps encroach on Hangouts’ territory, especially Duo, since it’s all about video calls.
This begs the question: What’s going to happen with Hangouts now that there’s a newcomer encroaching on its turf?
The answer is that the platform as we know it isn’t going to disappear entirely, but it is going to separate into two branches: Google Meet and Hangouts Chat.
The latter is going to focus on instant messaging, with a few new twists (think Slack and you’ll be on the right track).
As for videoconferencing, if you’re not a business user, you’ll probably find yourself ‘migrating’ to Google Duo soon.
However, if you have access to the G Suite of business apps you’ll have another option: Google Meet.
An Introduction to Google Meet
If you’re a bit confused by all the video calling and conferencing apps available from Google, don’t be.
Here’s all you need to know: if your business subscribes to the G Suite, you’ll definitely want to check out Google Meet.
Just like its parent program, Google Meet enables you to make high-definition video calls through either an app (available both on iOS and on Android) or a website.
You’ll be able to schedule meetings ahead of time, join in on calls from your calendar or email account, and talk with up to 30 other users simultaneously.
Google Meet also provides you with options to record your calls in case you need to review what was said during your meetings.
Finally, G Suites Enterprise users are also able to set up dial-in numbers.
These are useful in case one of your members needs to join in on a discussion using their phone.
Source: Google Meet: The Future of Business Videoconferencing
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