What you need to know
- Google is bringing picture-in-picture mode to its Meet video conferencing app.
- Google Meet can also now pin multiple video feeds.
- The new pip mode was first announced in March and will roll out on Google Chrome in the next couple of weeks.
Google Meet is gaining new abilities for Chrome browsers on the web. The company has announced that it's bringing picture-in-picture support to its video conferencing app alongside pinning multiple video feeds. With the new functionality, users can see up to four video tiles in a meeting as it appears in a floating window.
Enabling the new picture-in-picture is relatively simple. Users on a Google Meet call can right-click during the conference and select "Open picture-in-picture." The video call window pops out immediately without the need for secondary extension support.
The feature was first announced back in March, although it seems it's taken some time to finally arrive.
If you're already familiar with YouTube's picture-in-picture playback on desktop, this new Google Meet feature is a no-brainer. That said, if you're not already taking advantage of YouTube's picture-in-picture mode on desktop browsers, you can download the respective extension (made by Google) to make it available directly from the toolbar. With Google Meet, it appears the feature is more readily accessible on Chrome by default, which is pretty convenient.
In the Workspace blog post, Google suggests this is how users can combine their content and stay connected to the people on the same screen. Users can head back to the original Google Meet presentation mode with a simple click.
Users can pin multiple video feeds in their Google Meet call to keep important speakers in view.
The company also mentions that the new ability will be available for all Google Workspace users next to legacy G Suite Basic and Business consumers. In addition, users with their personal Google accounts will also be able to utilize this feature. And, there is no admin control for this feature, which could mean users joining Google Meet calls through invite links might also be able to use the new feature on Chrome. The rollout is planned to be coming up in about two weeks.
