A new update to Google Meet could mean the end of potentially embarrassing occasions during a video call forever.
The video conferencing service will now allow users to quickly mute themselves in a meeting by holding down the space bar button. To unmute, users simply release the button.
"We hope this makes joining your meetings even easier by quickly turning on sound to say something," the company wrote in a blog post about the Google Workspace update (opens in a new tab), adding that It could also be useful in situations where users forget to unmute after unmuting a group call.
Press to speak
The feature is disabled by default, but can be enabled in the Google Meet settings menu and will begin rolling out to users on September 9, where it will be available to all Google Workspace customers and users with personal Google accounts at all web browsers. .
A similar feature is already available in Zoom, which also allows users to mute and unmute the audio by pressing the space bar. On the other hand, Microsoft Teams, the other big rival, requires users to press two buttons (Ctrl + space bar) to activate the sound.
The update comes as the company continues its merger of Google Duo and Meet to create a single video calling service.
It also comes shortly after the platform finally added improved support for USB accessories, meaning users will be able to power on and off using headphones, high-power microphones and more, speakers, and other USB devices.
Fortunately, another recent update to Google Workspace will also change the way its intelligent assistant (opens in new tab) reacts when users are on a video conference call, especially if someone says "Hey Google."
The change means Google Assistant will now only be active when a device is not in a meeting and will only be active within 10 minutes of an upcoming meeting.