This video is sponsored by Google.
I love using Google Meet’s calling functionality to stay connected and
see my friends and family. Whether it’s on my PC doing a group video session with my youtube fam,
or just calling my niece to talk about her favorite new princess dress. I even used it
recently to help my grandma fix a tech problem even though she lives half a continent away.
Since it’s cross platform, Google Meet has been my go-to for video calls for several years. If
you’ve never used it before you’re missing out! I find it to be particularly useful because I’m
not stuck using any specific operating system or platform - it works on any of my phones,
my tablet, and my laptop and PC. So no matter where I am at the time, I can initiate a call.
These are my favorite features of calling with Google Meet, and how to get started.
I’m assuming that you have never used Google Meet calling functionality before,
so let’s get started by adding your phone number to your account so you can receive video calls.
You’ll need to open the Google Meet app, which is available in the Google Play
Store and the iOS App Store. Open the app and click on the three lines - the
hamburger menu icon - then click settings. On this menu you’ll see blue text that says
Add Calling Account. Click this then type in your phone number and click Continue.
If you’ve never used Google Meet on this device, the app will send you a text
message with a verification code. Enter that code into the app and click Done. A screen
pops up saying “Phone number verified”, telling you that you’re ready to receive
calls! You’ll also see “Your calling account is now linked.” at the bottom of the screen.
From here, just return to the main menu. Now your friends and family
can call you via Google Meet by calling your number in the app.
Ok, but how do you invite your own friends to use calling with Google Meet?
I’m using my Pixel Fold for this example. In the app, I can click on the search box
to open my contacts and find whomever I want to call. This searches your phones contact and you
can look up people by typing in their name or number. If they aren’t already on Google Meet,
tap invite and an invitation message will be generated for them. This will
open your SMS app and you can click Send to send the link to them. From here just
have your contact set up their own Google Meet App for video calling.
Google Meet can also do group calls. I set up a group call every month for a group of friends,
and this is how we keep in touch even while traveling or if someone moves out of state.
To set up a group call, open the Google Meet app. At the bottom right,
tap the button that says NEW, then tap Create Group. Choose everyone you want
to invite to the group call, tap Done, then tap Start call.
In the call, you can take advantage of a bunch of features. For example,
tapping the 3 dots (the menu icon), then choosing Effects, then scrolling through the options will
allow you to choose a new background. You can blur a sensitive background, choose a still image or
an animated wallpaper. I like this one because it makes me feel like I’m on vacation everyday.
There are tons of advanced features you can use. I love using the augmented reality filters when
I talk to my brother for example, he gets a kick out of making himself look like a
pirate. He kinda looks like a pirate in real life though so it definitely works.
On the preview screen, before you initiate the call, you can also send you friends and family
emojis! In my case, I’m sending my husband this little heart emoji. Aww, it’s so cute!
There are so many features when calling with Google Meet, not just the ones I’ve shown here.
Given that it’s so easy to use, it works on all my devices, and the videos are high quality, I
use it a lot for all sorts of scenarios. Give it a try, and comment below if you have any questions!
Thanks again to Google for sponsoring this video. Bye yall!