Improvements to Google Meet ultra-low latency live streaming

What’s changing

Earlier this year, we announced a new ultra-low latency viewing experience for video meetings that are streamed within an organisation. Since launch, we’ve introducing several improvements for the overall experience:

Meeting hosts can now add or start live streaming from any ongoing Meet call, even if it wasn’t initially planned to be live streamed.

To start a live stream, at the bottom right select Activities > Live Streaming

Live stream viewers can now see the size of the audience (call participants and viewers) in the top left live stream indicator.

The join screen now has a quick-access button, which meeting participants can use to join a live stream if they prefer that experience over the regular call.Video feed will start even faster when joining live streams with large audiences.Viewing live streams from the Google Meet mobile app on Android and iOS devices is now supported. These improvements will be available for Google Meet on web and meeting room hardware. Support for the Meet mobile app is outlined below in the “Rollout” section.

Getting started

Admins: Visit our Help Center for more information turning live streaming on or off for Meet and how to prepare your network. End users: When enabled by your admin, use the Help Center to learn more about live streaming a video meeting. Viewers: On the computer, you can join streams as before. Reactions, polls and live Q&A work like in a regular Meet video meeting. On mobile, you can now join streams within the Meet app with some feature restrictions. Learn more. Live stream hosts: Live streams are scheduled and managed just like before.

Rollout pace

Join live streams from the Google Meet mobile apps:

Android Rapid Release domains: Available now. Scheduled Release domains: Gradual rollout (up to 15 days for feature visibility) beginning on January 3, 2024, with anticipated completion by January 11, 2024

iOS Rapid Release domains: Gradual rollout (up to 15 days for feature visibility) beginning on January 3, 2024, with anticipated completion by January 8, 2024 Scheduled Release domains: Gradual rollout (up to 15 days for feature visibility) beginning on January 8, 2024, with anticipated completion by January 18, 2024

Meet in GmailRapid Release domains: Available now. Scheduled Release domains: Gradual rollout (up to 15 days for feature visibility) beginning on January 3, 2024, with anticipated completion by January 11, 2024

All other updates mentioned in this post are available now.

Availability

Live streaming is available for Google Workspace Enterprise Standard, Enterprise Plus, Enterprise Essentials Plus, the Teaching and Learning Upgrade, and Education Plus customers.

Live streamed meetings can be viewed by Google Workspace Business Starter, Business Standard, Business Plus, Enterprise Starter, Enterprise Standard, Enterprise Plus, Education Fundamentals, Education Standard, the Teaching and Learning. Upgrade, Education Plus, Essentials Starter, and Essentials users.

Not available to users with personal Google accounts.