Google Meet can now fix your most embarrassing meeting fail

(Image credit: Shutterstock.com / Antonio Guillem)

Google has revealed a selection of tweaks and upgrades for Meet as it looks to help users improve their video conferencing experience.

The company has announced a centralized location for the controls used by hosts to manage a call, rather than splitting out various tools across the window, in a bid to simplify hosting duties.

Alongside this, Google Meet has also received a slightly sad-looking tool aimed at helping you leave a meeting if you're the only person present.

Google Meet empty calls

The new "leave empty call reminder" prompts users to leave a meeting if they're the only one to join a call, hopefully meaning an end to any awkward loitering if your co-workers have forgotten to join.

"Are you still there?" the prompt asks. "You've been waiting a long time. Do you want to keep waiting to join?"

Google Meet still joining call — (Image credit: Google Workspace)

"Now, when you’re the only person in a meeting for five minutes, you’ll receive a prompt asking whether you want to stay or leave the meeting," the official Google Workspace update blog for the feature noted. "If you don’t respond after two minutes, you will automatically leave the meeting."

Google says that it also hopes the feature will help prevent situations where your audio or video is unintentionally shared, so no-one should be able to eavesdrop on you just in case you do start up a call accidentally.

The feature is available for Google Meet on desktop and iOS devices to all Google Workspace customers, as well as legacy G Suite Basic and Business customers and users with personal Google accounts now, with an Android launch also scheduled "soon".

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The Host management menu updates are available for all Google Workspace users now, and can now be found under the “Host Controls” button located in the bottom bar in a Google Meet call.

The update is only for desktop versions of Google Meet, where the company says host and co-host controls are currently spread across multiple locations.

"We hope this change makes it easier to manage your meeting settings by reducing the need to switch between various menus," the company said.

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Mike Moore is Deputy Editor at TechRadar Pro. He has worked as a B2B and B2C tech journalist for nearly a decade, including at one of the UK's leading national newspapers and fellow Future title ITProPortal, and when he's not keeping track of all the latest enterprise and workplace trends, can most likely be found watching, following or taking part in some kind of sport.