Google Workspace updates could make virtual presentations less of a trauma
New Google Workspace features take the pain out of video meetings
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Google Workspaceis receiving a slew of quality of life updates that should make the lives of presenters and participants easier in ahybrid workingsetting.
As announced atGoogleCloud Next ‘22, big changes on the horizon for the suite ofonline collaboration toolsinclude presenter video feeds being embedded withinGoogle Slidescontent, and allowingGoogle Meetcompanion mode to be used across any device a presenter chooses.
Supported AI-poweredwebcamsfrom Huddly andLogitechwill also now frame and track presenters in physical meeting rooms, helping remote attendees keep up with the conversation.
New Google Workspace features
As part of the changes, Google Meet will now transcribe meetings automatically, and presenters will be able to control their slides and runJamboardsessions (Google’sdigital whiteboardtool) directly within Meet, as well as place conference rooms into breakouts.
But it’s not just Google Meet getting some long-awaited improvements.Google Chatusers will also be pleased to know that the app is getting several features that, until now, have perhaps madeSlackandMicrosoft Teamsmore robust communications platforms for businesses.
These include threaded conversations, custom emojis, and one-way spaces for key announcements to be seen across an organization.
Check out our list of the best project management software right now>Microsoft Teams is about to save your PowerPoint presentations>Google Workspace is getting some welcome accessibility upgrades
New APIs for both apps will mean users will be able to start meetings and send messages across a number of third-party apps, with Google stating that the first to see support will beAsanaand LumApps.
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But that’s not all. A new software development kit (SDK) for Meet apps will allow developers to embed applications directly into Google Meet itself. The first supported add-ons will come from Figma, allowing users to collaborate on designs, and FigJam digital whiteboards, from within Google Meet.
With these changes, Google might just have taken the unintuitive sting out of Workspace. But only time will tell if it encourages businesses to migrate from other collaboration tools.
Luke Hughes holds the role of Staff Writer at TechRadar Pro, producing news, features and deals content across topics ranging from computing to cloud services, cybersecurity, data privacy and business software.
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