Google Duo's transition to Google Meet is now finally complete, meaning all the Google Duo and Meet features are now combined into one single app. The combined app will let you make both group or one-on-one calls, and also host meetings. You can also use all the fun Google Duo features in Google Meet now, and that includes "live sharing" too. If you don't know what live sharing is and are wondering how to use it in Google Meet, then we're here to help. Read on to find out what is live sharing in Google Meet and how you can use it to make your meetings and video calls fun.
What is Google Meet Live Sharing?
The Google Meet Live Sharing feature is essentially Google Duo Live Sharing that was announced as a Samsung exclusive feature back in February 2022 at the Galaxy Unpacked event. It was announced as a collaborative effort from Google and Samsung to enable dynamic screen sharing on Galaxy smartphones — similar to Apple SharePlay in the FaceTime app. This particular feature was recently rolled out to Google Meet users as a part of the Google Duo-Meet transition, so all Google Meet users can now enjoy this feature on their Android phones.
The Google Meet Live Sharing feature allows all the participants in a meeting hosted on Google Meet to share and interact with content. It lets you co-watch videos on YouTube or listen to a playlist on Spotify. Additionally, you can also play some fun games like "Heads Up!", "UNO! Mobile", or "Kahoot!" with other participants. This Live Sharing feature now lives alongside the existing features on Google Meet, like polls and Q&A. It's located under the "Activities" tab, which you can reveal by opening the overflow menu on Android. Also, this particular feature is only available in the Google Meet app on Android.
How to use Google Meet Live Sharing on Android?
The Google Meet Live Sharing feature isn't exclusive to just Samsung Galaxy phones, as it was announced back in February last year. You will, however, need an Android phone to use this feature now, as it's not available on other platforms like Google Meet web or on iOS. You'll also need to sign in from a personal Google account to access the activities feature, as they won't show up on enterprise accounts. Here's a step-by-step guide detailing how to use the Google Meet Live Sharing feature on your Android phone:
- Open Google Meet on your Android phone and join or host a meeting.
- Once you are in the meeting, look for the three-dot icon in the bottom right corner of the screen.
- Select that to open a new page with a list of available activities.
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Choose the one you want to use to open a new page in which you'll see a message asking you to open the required app for it. In this case, we're using YouTube to co-watch a video.
- Select the button to open the YouTube app. You can now browse and select the video you want to share in the meeting.
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Once you play the video, you'll see a pop-up asking if you want to live share with Meet. Select Start to share the video with the participants in the meeting.
The YouTube video will start playing, and the Meet app will enter PiP mode on your screen. Google Meet will also automatically open YouTube on the participant's phone at this point to play the same video on their screen. You'll also see a highlighted message that reads, "You are live sharing in Meet", to let you know when you're sharing. The participants of the meeting will now be able to interact with the video playback to play/pause, skip to the next video in the playlist, or even watch it in fullscreen as shown below.
And that's it! That's how you can use the Live Sharing feature in Google Meet on all the best Android smartphones. Similarly, you can also select other activities and launch the respective apps to share them with other participants. It is, however, worth mentioning that you may need a premium subscription to the service you're trying to share. Both YouTube and Spotify, for instance, will ask you to get a premium subscription to allow Live Sharing in Meet.
The list of available activities for live sharing is fairly slim right now, but we expect more things to be added over time. This feature, as we mentioned earlier, is only available in Google Meet on Android, and you'll only see it on personal Google accounts, not enterprise ones. You can download Google Meet on your Android phone using the link below.
What are your thoughts on Google Meet's live-sharing, and how often do you see yourself using this feature? Tells us in the comments below.