Google Meet video calls to now adapt to internet speed at home, expected to help students

Google has released new Chrome OS updates that will help students run video calls at home while theyre using apps like Google Classroom, Docs, Sheets, Slides and other tools, regardless of the device or the strength of their internet connections. The update will help students as they're using the same networks as their parents, guardians and siblings, putting heavy demand on bandwidth.

Google Meet will now adapt to the speed of your network by temporarily turning off some video feeds, to make sure you're not interrupted if many people are using your connection at the same time. "Making sure devices can handle video conferences all day while running various apps and software that require a lot of power is incredibly important. That's why we've been focused on improving Chromebooks," Google said in a statement on Thursday.

In Chrome OS, Google has improved how Meet videos are streamed. The improvements will make it easier for educators and students to choose a feature like grid view, where they can see images of other Meet attendees without affecting the performance of other apps. "So if students are taking notes in a Google Doc while in a Meet, or running a Kahoot! game at the same time, they'll be able to see everyone", Google said.

The company has also improved Chromebooks' camera and video feed performance and efficiency by making sure that audio and video data don't require any unnecessary processing. "We're working on making Google Meet adapt more intelligently to your device, your network and what you're working on". Educators and learners who use Zoom will also see performance improvements during their videoconferences.

Google and Zoom engineering teams have been working together on service enhancements for Chrome devices. "Just like Meet, Zoom will adjust video performance based on devices in use and what participants are using their devices to do," Google said.