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Google Meet calls can now be transcribed into text

Google has revealed that Google Meet calls can now also be converted into text and saved by users in Google Doc format.

Google Meet calls
Image Source: theliveahmedabad.com

Google is constantly updating the functionality and user experience on its video-calling platform, Google Meet. In keeping with its recent trends, Google has released an update that will soon provide users access to a number of new features, such as speech transcription. Google has launched a brand-new transcribe feature for Google Meet calls.

Users will now be able to utilize this tool to convert the whole meeting’s audio file into text format and save it as a Google Doc. The saved file may be retrieved using Google Drive. The tech behemoth recently released this new feature in the Cloud Next 2022 event.

Users will find the Google Meet transcribe tool useful for recording meetings and saving important remarks.

On October 24, the company will begin to introduce the new transcribe tool for Google Meet globally. Although the transcribe option is intriguing, not everyone would have access to it. Android Central reported that Google will only make the new tool available to PC and laptop users.

Attendees will be informed that the call is being recorded before they join the Google Meet call. The purpose of these transcripts is to document the discussion from the meeting, serve as a record, and be useful to attendees or the host if they wish to refer back to a specific section or idea from the entire discussion.

Similar to the recording option, if the transcription is activated for the Google Meet call, all participants will receive a notification. According to Google, the Google Meet transcription file may also be kept in the Google Drive storage system in the “Meeting Recordings” folder.

Following the meeting, a link to the transcript will be sent to every participant’s email address, including the hosts and the person who started the transcript. Google will also include a link to the transcription with the “associated calendar invite for the meeting” in addition to that.

Regarding accessibility, Google has said that in all meetings with 200 or fewer participants, the meeting host, co-hosts, or the person who initiated the transcription will only have access to the link to the transcription file by email after the meeting concludes.

Only the meeting organizers, hosts, and co-hosts will have access to the transcription for meetings with 200 or more invitees.

Notably, the transcribe option “can be configured at the group, domain, or OU level” and will be enabled by default. Only users of Google Workspace Business Standard, Enterprise Standard, Business Plus, Enterprise Plus, Education Plus, and the Teaching and Learning Upgrade will have access to the feature.

Google users with personal accounts will not be able to access the new feature. It’s also important to note that only English-speaking people can use the transcribe tool. So, the feature cannot convert audio into text when users talk in any other language.

Google Meet( formerly Google Hangouts) is a video-communication service by Google. Google Meet is amongst the most used meeting apps especially when it took the place of Google Duo on Android and iOS smartphones.

Google Meet

Google Meet to Limit Meeting to 60 Minutes on Free Plans after September 30

With the global pandemic striking earlier this year, videoconferencing apps faced a larger crowd and growth in terms of new users. Due to the lockdown, from classes to business meetings, from chatting with friends to giving exams everything started taking place virtually. So, many videoconferencing platforms made their app free for everyone. One such company is Google that made Google Meet free for everyone which means video conferencing for an unlimited time.

When the pandemic started taking monstrous shape, people understood that this is not going to end anytime soon. So, Google Meet made the platform free for all users in April. The company also mentioned that this free plan would be until 30th September 2020. And, yesterday the company made it clear that it is sticking to its words.

Google Meet Free till 30th September of this year

In the last week of April, Google announced making Google Meet free for everyone. The company said the privilege of enjoying unlimited video conferencing time will not just be limited to enterprise and education customers. So, anybody with a Google account easily created a meeting in Google Meet with 100 participants maximum and no time limit. But, the company gave a hint at the beginning that the time slot will be reduced to 60 minutes after 30th September. But, the users might have thought with time the deadline might have extended.

Google used the free for all strategy to also outrun Zoom in terms of the user base. When the lockdown started, the first videoconferencing platform that escalated to unlimited height was Zoom. But, very soon due to the compromised security system of Zoom or callous safety measures, Zoombombing took place. Google Meet saw it as a golden opportunity to take control of the market by both free meetings and ensuring safety. When Google made the platform free it made clear that Google will focus more on the safety measures. Thus, whenever a person will try to join a meeting using a link, first he will wait in the green room until and unless the host lets him in. This made Meet better and safer than Zoom.

Google Meet
Image Source: arstechnica.com

Advanced features for G Suite

With the unlimited video conferencing time, Google also made the advanced free features free for everyone. At first, the features were made free till 1st July which was then extended to 30th September. But, along with the time limit reducing to 60 minutes, free users cannot enjoy the advanced features of G Suite anymore. When the G Suite features were also made available it allowed the G Suite for education customers to host meetings with up to 250 participants. The platform also allowed live-stream to up to 100,000 users within a single domain. And, these meetings recording could be saved in Google Drive as well. Unfortunately, all these privileges will go away after a couple of days with only the “Enterprise” tier of G Suite using it for $25 per user per month.

After the pandemic started, Javier Soltero, VP and General Manager of G Suite, said that in the time of needs the company wants to give everyone access to features that they enjoy. G Suite is one of the best products to win by choice and they are trying nothing but to help people around the globe. The company also noticed that the daily user base of Google Meet increased 25 folds as it was in January. So, free access even though for a limited time was immensely profitable for the company.

Other video conferencing platforms 

In April, Google Meet witnessed a daily participant count of 100 million or more. After Zoombombing, every video conferencing company including Google Meet wanted to take its position in the market, thus ruling it. Among all these apps, it was Zoom to achieve great success within a very small period. The other companies eventually started chasing the meteoric rise of Zoom. But, with the virtual mode becoming the new normal for every purpose, it is time for Google Meet to get back to its normal plans.

So, the decision of ending free plans for all is fixed. Free users can still enjoy videoconferencing but with a time constraint of 60 minutes.