Remember the good old days when you could escape from a never-ending meeting by simply leaving your laptop behind? “Hey guys, I have to get going but I’ll jump back on with my phone,” and then you “forget” to jump back on the call?
Those days are over. In a blog post, Google has announced a new update to Google Meet that rips this freedom away from all of us. According to the company, you can now seamlessly transfer your call between devices, including mobile phones, tablets, and laptops, meaning you can take that meeting on the go, literally anywhere, without getting to hang up ever again.
As the company explains below, if you’re taking a call on your phone and want to switch to your computer, you’ll see a new “Switch here” option on the Google Meet “Ready to join?” screen before you hop into a call. Clicking this option will seamlessly switch you from your phone to your computer. Of course, you’ll need to be logged into the same Google account on both devices for this to work.
In today’s world, getting our work done can happen from many locations, across many devices. Beginning today, you can smoothly transfer between devices while on a Google Meet call without hanging up and rejoining. For example, if you were taking a Meet call on your mobile phone or tablet, you could smoothly switch to your laptop when you arrived at your desk. You’ll notice the new “Switch here” option when joining a meeting on your laptop, which will switch the call from your mobile devices while maintaining an ongoing conversation and without worrying about missing important information.
We don’t need to be this connected to work
While I’m sure there are going to be some high-octane professional types that will laud this new feature and it will no doubt be nice if you’re one device is going to die and you need to switch without dropping from the call (especially if you’re presenting), I see a darker side to this convenience.
This update effectively empowers Google Meet to exist as a persistent shadow, following you wherever you go, ensuring you’re never more than a tap or click away from staying in the meeting you’re begging to get out of.
Whether you’re sneaking out for a quick coffee break or desperately trying to escape the confines of your home office, Google Meet will make sure you can’t outrun your work obligations — and some bosses are going to exploit this. “Oh, you need to step away for a second? Just transfer the call to your phone, and we’ll come with you!” AHHHHHHHHH!!!
But hey, at least you’ll never miss a beat in the conversation (or those awkward silences when someone asks a question and no one replies). So say goodbye to another piece of remote work freedom. With Google Meet making it simple to switch between devices, you always be connected – for better or for worse.