Virtual Classroom Watch

Google Meet

Range: 2-1,000 active Effective: Mar 9, 2017 Vendor: Google Official source Pricing page
Free: $0/mo 60-min meetings, 100 participants Business Starter: $7/user/mo 24-hr meetings, 100 participants Business Standard: $14/user/mo 150 participants, recording Business Plus: $22/user/mo 500 participants, attendance tracking

Features Covered

Video Conferencing Screen Sharing Breakout Rooms Recording and Transcription Chat and Messaging Integrated AI Note-Taker

Timeline

MilestoneDateNotes
Launch as Hangouts MeetMar 9, 2017Enterprise video conferencing for G Suite
Rebranded to Google MeetApr 29, 2020Made free for all users during the pandemic
Google Hangouts retiredNov 1, 2022All users migrated to Google Meet and Chat
Gemini integrationJun 1, 2024AI-powered meeting notes and summaries

Provisions (8)

Video Conferencing

Implements: Video Conferencing active Effective: Mar 9, 2017
Google Meet leverages Google's global infrastructure for low-latency video delivery across regions.

Requirements

RequirementDetails
Participant limitUp to 1,000 connections on Enterprise Plus and Enterprise Essentials Plus; connections after 500 are view-only
Video qualityUp to 720p standard, 1080p on some plans
Tiled layoutAuto-adjusting grid view
Sources: Google Meet Features

Screen Sharing

Implements: Screen Sharing active Effective: Mar 9, 2017
Google Meet's Chrome tab sharing with audio is particularly well-suited for sharing video content in presentations.

Requirements

RequirementDetails
Sharing optionsEntire screen, window, or Chrome tab
Tab audioAudio sharing when presenting a Chrome tab
Co-presentingMultiple participants can present sequentially
Sources: Google Meet Sharing

Breakout Rooms

Implements: Breakout Rooms active Effective: Mar 1, 2021
Google Meet supports up to 100 breakout rooms, the highest count among the major platforms.

Requirements

RequirementDetails
Room countUp to 100 breakout rooms
AssignmentAutomatic shuffle or manual assignment
TimerConfigurable timer for breakout sessions
Sources: Meet Breakout Rooms

Recording and Transcription

Implements: Recording active Effective: Mar 9, 2017
Meet recordings and transcripts are automatically saved to the organizer's Google Drive for easy sharing.

Requirements

RequirementDetails
Cloud recordingSaved to Google Drive automatically
TranscriptionAutomatic transcripts saved alongside recordings
Live captionsReal-time captions in multiple languages
Sources: Meet Recording

Chat and Messaging

Implements: Chat Messaging active Effective: Mar 9, 2017
Google Chat Spaces provide persistent team collaboration alongside Meet, integrated into the Workspace ecosystem.

Requirements

RequirementDetails
In-meeting chatText chat during live meetings
Google ChatPersistent team messaging via Google Chat (separate app)
SpacesTeam collaboration spaces with topics and file sharing
Sources: Google Chat

Polling and Q&A

Implements: Polling active Effective: Jun 1, 2021
Meet's Q&A feature allows attendees to upvote questions, helping organizers prioritize audience inquiries.

Requirements

RequirementDetails
PollsMultiple choice polls during meetings
Q&AStructured Q&A with upvoting
ResultsReal-time results visible to host and participants
Sources: Meet Polls and Q&A

Virtual Backgrounds

Implements: Virtual Backgrounds active Effective: Sep 1, 2020
Google Meet added virtual backgrounds during the pandemic-driven remote work surge in late 2020.

Requirements

RequirementDetails
Background imagesUpload custom or choose from built-in library
Background blurSlight and full blur options
Video backgroundsAnimated background support
Sources: Meet Backgrounds

Integrated AI Note-Taker

Implements: Ai Notetaker active Effective: Jun 1, 2024
Google Meet's Gemini integration auto-generates notes in Google Docs, tightly coupled with the Workspace ecosystem.

Requirements

RequirementDetails
Take notes for meAI-generated meeting notes shared via Google Docs
Summary emailsAutomatic summary emailed to attendees who missed the meeting
Sources: Google Meet

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