Google is expanding Meet support to Chromecast, allowing you to have your video conferences on the biggest screen in your house. Following a recently released update, the app now lets you cast Meet calls to Chromecast and Cast-enabled devices such as Android TV or other smart displays.
Once the functionality becomes available for you, a “Cast this Meeting” option will appear when you’re about to join a meeting. You can click on it and select a device to cast the meeting.
You can also choose to do so anytime during a call by selecting “Cast this Meeting” under the “three-dot” menu in the bottom right corner of the screen. Additionally, you can stop casting through the same menu.
Google Meet adds Chromecast support
Ever since the COVID-19 pandemic hit the world, video conferences have become the new normal. From work meetings to education, entertainment, and health services, everything’s now online. Google Meet is one of the many platforms that facilitates all this.
The company has been regularly upgrading the app with new features to make video conferencing experience better for users. It launched Meet on Nest Hub Max earlier this year. The company is now expanding the support to Chromecast, saying “it just felt right to expand Meet to even more screens in your home”. The Chromecast support is already rolling out and will reach all Meet users over the next few days.
“From the small screen to the big screen, you can join a meeting from anywhere in your home,” writes Grace Yang from Google in an official announcement.
To cast a meeting on to your TV, you’ll need to install the latest version of the Chrome browser on your desktop or laptop computer. You also need to update your Chromecast device to the latest firmware.
Do note that Meet will still use your PC’s camera, microphone, and audio in order to facilitate the video conference. Only the meeting visuals are cast on to the big screen. So you might still have to keep your PC in front of you and occasionally stare at it just to make sure you don’t look distracted.
The support is available on Chromecast Ultra, Chromecast, and Chromecast (2nd gen). Google says performance on TVs and other displays may vary, suggesting that it may not always work perfectly.
Nonetheless, it’s a handy feature to have when you’re making video calls more than ever. Expect Google to continue refining the Meet on Chromecast experience in the future.