It can be difficult to figure out how you’re coming across in a videoconference, especially if you want to make sure everything works before you start the meeting. How is your lighting? Are you sitting too close or too far from the camera? Is your audio okay, are you accidentally muted, or do you sound as if you’re in an echo chamber?
Google has now made it easier to check your appearance and your tech before a Meet conference with its new “green room” feature (via 9to5Google). When you start or prepare to join a meeting, in the usual “Ready to join?” window that first appears, you will now also see a small button below your video that says “Check your audio and video.” Just click on that button, and a pop-up window will not only show your video image, but allow you to see (and change) which microphone, speaker, and camera is currently live.
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A “Next” button on that pop-up window then lets you record a short 6-second video sample, allowing you to see how you will look and sound to the others in your meeting. According to Google, the clip is private to you and will not be saved. Your mic, speaker, camera, and connection are also checked by the system and get green checkmarks if they seem to be working.
While previously you could see how you appeared in the initial “Ready to join?” window, Meet’s new “green room” can be even more helpful. For example, you can test various forms of lighting, test whether your laptop’s audio is better or worse than your headset’s, and make sure that you’re looking good before your meeting — with colleagues, friends, or family — starts.
Google Meet’s new “green room” feature is available now.
