Google Meet expands live captions to 4 more languages, extends unlimited meetings
Google Meet is expanding its live captions feature to French, Spanish, German and Portuguese and continuing unlimited Meet calls up to 24 hours in the free version through March 13, 2021.
The updates will start rolling out to Meet web users today.
Google has made a big push with Google Meet amid remote work and education. The video conferencing and meeting vendors are all playing catch-up to Zoom, which has become a verb. Nevertheless, video conferencing as a category has surged with Zoom alternatives such as Meet, Microsoft Teams, Cisco WebEx and Verizon's BlueJeans to name a few seeing usage spikes.
Google said its live caption features are handy for students with learning disabilities as well as education. Live captions can also improve inclusivity. Other vendors have bolstered caption features:
- Zoom meetings: You can now add live captions to your call – and they actually work
- Cisco unveils revamped Webex experience, including noise cancellation, AI-powered gesture recognition
- Verizon's BlueJeans adds new features, integrations for virtual events and support for 50,000 attendees
According to Google, Meet has become an engagement tool for its Workspace editions. The company has added a countdown timer, attendance tools, hand raising and breakout rooms.
More collaboration:
- Microsoft 365 vs Google Workspace (formerly G Suite): Which productivity suite is best for your business?
- Google adds more Microsoft Office-related features to Workspace
- Google, Intel, Dell, collaboration giants like Zoom, Slack form Modern Computing Alliance
- Microsoft Teams: 49-person grid is coming to Chrome and Edge, as breakout rooms arrive
- Zoom's Q3 revenue up 367% as demand shows no signs of slowing
- Microsoft Teams: The complete starter guide for business decision makers