Google has launched a new standalone web app for Google Meet.
The web app also known as Progressive Web Application has all the features of the Google Meet app, but this is strictly for the web. You will no longer have to type out the URL or go to Gmail to start a meeting on Google Meet, you can simply download the app on your laptop, computer or MacBook and use it. The announcement by Google comes weeks after Zoom announced its own PWA.
Any new changes you need to be aware of?
If you are wondering how different the Google Meet web app would be from Google Meet, Google has clarified that there is no change in terms of functionality. The PWA’s are in fact websites that have the functions of an app.
So if you download the Google Meet app on your laptop or computer, you will no longer have to find it through the browser to start a meeting. It will be available in your downloaded apps section. You can simply open the app and start a meeting as we do it on smartphones when we have the apps installed on our device.
About its new Progressive Web App, Google said:
“We’ve launched a new Google Meet standalone web app. This Progressive Web Application (PWA) has all the same features as Google Meet on the web, but as a standalone app it’s easier to find and use, and it streamlines your workflow by eliminating the need to switch between tabs.”
The Google Meet web app will run on any device with Google Chrome browser version 73 and up irrespective of the operating system. This means that the Google Meet can run on Windows, MacOS, Chrome OS, and Linux devices. It would be particularly useful for Chromebook users.
The web app can be downloaded installed from the Chrome browser.
It is important to note that the app will not be available until installed on a user’s device. Google will also show pop-ups to try the Google Meet web app in the upper right-hand corner of the main Google Meet opening page. You can either hit the installation button provided in the pop-up or close it if you already have the web app.
