Google Meet adds simplified controls for meeting access

Google has announced a forthcoming update to its popular video conferencing platform, Google Meet, to ensure meetings run as smoothly as possible. The platform is introducing simplified controls for meeting access, replacing the existing Quick Access meeting settings in the admin console.

The new access controls are set to roll out gradually starting on July 17, 2023.

"To help ensure your meetings run as smoothly as possible, we made the decision to replace the Quick access settings with a more intuitive and explicit set of controls for meeting organizers and hosts," Google wrote in a blog post.

Beginning with this update, meeting organizers will have the option to choose from three levels of access when creating a meeting: Open, Trusted, and Restricted.

• Open: Under the Open access level, anyone with the meeting link will have the ability to join the meeting without needing to ask for permission. Furthermore, dial-in options will be available for added accessibility.
• Trusted: The Trusted access level ensures that participants from within the meeting host's organization can join without requiring approval. Additionally, individuals who have been invited through a Google Calendar event or directly to the meeting will also have immediate access. However, for external participants not falling into these categories, they will still need to request access to join. Similar to the Open level, dial-in functionality will be available for all attendees.
• Restricted: At the Restricted access level, only those individuals who have been invited through a Google Calendar event or specifically invited by a meeting host within the meeting will be able to join. All other individuals, including participants from within the host's organization who are not included in the initial invite, as well as dial-in participants, will need to request access before joining.

In addition to the three access levels, meeting hosts will have the ability to configure whether guests can join the meeting before the hosts themselves.

Google plans to implement a gradual rollout of these features, starting on July 17, 2023, across Rapid and Scheduled Release domains. The feature visibility is expected to extend up to 15 days.

The new simplified access controls in Google Meet will be available to all Google Workspace customers as well as to users with personal Google accounts.