Post-pandemic, meeting, messaging and video conferencing apps have never been more relevant. With flexible work arrangements on the rise and more people accepting the fact that many types of events can successfully take place online, apps like Google Meet are gaining new respect and greater use. 

Analysts estimate that the trend will only grow. By 2025, it’s believed that around 22 percent of the American workforce, or 36.2 million people will be working remotely.

Free to use and popular among Google account holders, Google Meet is helping people communicate and collaborate regardless of distance in streamlined and powerful ways. 

In this comprehensive Google Meet review and tutorial, we share what the app offers and how it enables a robust exchange of ideas among teams of any size. 

Google Meet’s Origin Story

Google Meet is an offshoot of three products by the developers at Alphabet, the company behind Google. It’s the replacement of Google Hangouts, Google Chats and the mobile app Google Duo. Towards the latter part of 2022, Duo was renamed Meet while the first Meet app was discontinued.

The original Meet app was only available to users of Google Workspace but the tech giant later decided that it would offer access to everyone. This allowed the number of Google Meet users to grow exponentially. As of April 2020, the platform is accessed by around 100 million users daily, representing a 300 percent growth. 

Why Use Google Meet?

Let’s take a look at why Google Meet is so popular:

Ease of use: Google Meet’s straightforward design and use make it easy for all, even non-tech savvy users who want to create or join a meeting. It’s intuitive, has an agile and lightweight interface, offers a good set of functionalities and doesn't require plug-ins or set-ups. 

Without these hoops to jump through, Google users with an internet connection and an invite can simply click on the link or enter a code and join a meeting instantly. 

Greater control: Meet also offers smart participant management, giving meeting creators and coordinators better control over their events. They can decide on who to allow into the meeting and mute the microphones of speakers and guests to manage noise. In addition, multiple-participant video and audio calls are effortless to execute. The Google Meet grid view also makes important meeting elements easy to track.

Integration-friendly: Google Meet can be integrated with other apps and allows content syncing across devices in real-time. It can work with other Google tools, business websites, and apps like Slack or Outlook. For example, users can hold a Google Meet virtual meeting and do everything automatically through Doodle. From finding everyone’s availability to sending the invite.

Premium plan features: Google Meet features a built-in microphone and speakers, mute modes and grid views. It can accommodate up to 100 participants for meetings that are up to 60 minutes long. 

The Premium Workspace includes additional features like Google Meet recordings, transcriptions, international dial-in numbers, live streaming, attendance tracking, noise cancellation, enhanced security, administrative controls, the ability to host more participants, bigger storage and more. 

Affordable pricing: Google Meet pricing is budget-friendly. Paid plans with additional features start at $4.50 per month per user. Meanwhile, their premium plan can be had for $18 a month. If you only need basic functionalities, you don’t even have to pay anything.

Data security and privacy: Google comes with information security and privacy features. All video conferences are encrypted in real-time while safety nets are kept updated to ensure continuous and uncompromised security.

Accessibility and inclusivity: Whether you want to collaborate with your team, make a presentation or just check in with a small group of friends, Google Meet is versatile enough to meet your needs. 

It’s also powered by Google’s speech recognition technology so it’s useful even for non-native speakers, hearing-impaired participants, or noisy locations. With English live captions, everyone can follow along. It can also be easily accessed via multiple devices with a modern web browser (Android/iOS) — no software or installations are needed.

Google Meet and Doodle

If you're looking to enhance your meeting with some cool integrations, it doesn't get better than Doodle. The scheduling platform offers the following functionalities for an upgraded Google Meet experience:

Booking Page: Accept appointments from clients, colleagues, and others with nothing more than a link.

1:1 and group polls: Suggest meeting times so attendees can choose the best time.

Seamless integration: Using Doodle is easy and hassle-free. It integrates seamlessly into your workflow.

Do it with Doodle

Google Meet is a great app, but it's even better with Doodle. Treat your meeting attendees to easy scheduling and time bookings by using two great apps together.