


Google Chat (and Google Meet) and Workspace are coming for everyone, which should mean an improved experience and more features for users, even if the changes take some getting used to. You can stick with Hangouts and a non-Workspace experience for a little while longer, but Google is only going in one direction with this, and it's taking everyone along with it-paying and non-paying users alike.
GOOGLE HANGOUTS VIDEO CHAT FOR FREE
It's a sort of halfway point between consumers who use Google's apps for free and businesses with large Workspace teams. This switch will be available to everyone, for free, but later this year we'll get Google Workspace Individual, a subscription for $10 a month that will be aimed at freelancers and entrepreneurs, which will offer additional tools such as email marketing and smart booking services, powered by Google's AI tools. Weve outlined the strengths and weaknesses of Google Hangouts Meet, so you can decide whether its the right video conference tool for your small business. (Oh, and you might see the word "Workspace" more often.) Although it's taken us a long time to explain what's happening, in terms of what you'll see as a user there isn't going to be a huge swathe of changes: The tools you already use will get a few upgrades, a cleaner look, and better integration with each other. It will make it easier for everyone on the call to hear the person who is talking because micro-noises like typing or pen tapping won’t accidentally disrupt the speaker.It's appropriate, then, that you can activate Google Workspace for your account by turning on Google Chat in Gmail: From the Chat and Meet tab of the Gmail Settings page, select Google Chat next to Chat. Mute your mic : If you’re not talking, mute your mic. You don’t want people to be distracted by the paintings on the wall behind you when you’re trying to pitch an idea. But just make sure that the person behind you can’t see your screen or hear your call, especially if you’re discussing that top-secret project. Privacy : Working from your favorite coffee shop can be nice: you have access to the best lattes around. Use a headset with a microphone or move to a quiet space for the best audio quality. Noise : Ambient noise, like traffic or loud conversations, can muddy the quality of your audio. Make sure that there is enough light so that other participants can see your face. Lighting : The joy of a video call is that your coworkers can see you when they talk to you. Video calls are awesome because you can join in from anywhere, but there are some things you might want to consider before picking a location.

There are other cool Hangouts apps that you can use to make your experience even better, like collaborating on Drive documents together or using the lower-third to introduce yourself in a Hangouts on Air broadcast. Note : If you have the Hangouts Chrome extension installed so that your chats pop up on your desktop, you might want to disable it or snooze your notifications before you present your whole screen. Select to share your whole screen or just a browser window, then click Start screenshare. Once you’re in a video call, you can easily add people! You can add people to an unscheduled video call or invite them to a scheduled video call in Google Calendar.Ĭlick the Screenshare button on the left side of the screen. Search for the person you’d like to have a video call with.Ī new browser window will open with your video call. Note : This will only work if your team has turned on Google+ premium features. Pick a person from the list to start a video call with. Their computer will ring and they can accept the call. Ĭlick the person you’d like to start a video call with.Ĭlick the video call button. Make sure that you have turned on Hangouts.
