Google Meet now auto-kicks you out of meetings when you’re alone

In its latest update, Google Meet rolls out two new features. One is the “leave empty call” reminders, which prompts users to exit or stay in meetings when they’ve been alone for five minutes. The other is a new centralized location for host management controls on the desktop version.

As a popular video-conferencing web app, Google Meet aims to provide user-friendly features that not only make online meetings easier—like Google Meet’s “Companion Mode”—but also more secure. These new features aim to achieve both.

The “leave empty call” reminder feature is for privacy. When you’re the only user in a meeting for five minutes, a pop-up will ask if you’d like to stay or leave. If you don’t respond, it will automatically kick you out. This is to prevent situations wherein your audio or video is unintentionally shared, so this is enabled by default. The feature will be available on PC, Google Meet for Android, and Google Meet for iOS—and is only for Workspace, legacy G Suite, and personal Google accounts.

Meanwhile, the centralized host management controls feature simply gathers all host controls into one place on the screen for better accessibility. If you click on the shield-and-lock icon at the bottom-right corner, all host and co-host features will be displayed together. This feature is only for Google Meet for Desktop but is available for all users.

The new update will be rolling out over the coming weeks. It’s not as bulky as the previous ones but the improvement in how Google Meet operates is no less a welcome change for everyone who frequently uses the app. If you want to know more, here’s a handy guide on how Google Meet works.

Image credit: Google Workspace Updates / Google Blog

Author: Monique Irish Casingal

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