Google Meet Companion Mode is rolling out to mobile devices

Google Meet’s Companion Mode is rolling out on mobile. Introduced for the web in June 2021, the feature is now available for your Android smartphone or iPhone. It gives access to virtual tools for in-person participants in hybrid meetings.

Google Meet brings Companion Mode to mobile

Google introduced Companion Mode to make hybrid meetings on Meet more equitable. It provides a second-screen experience for in-person attendees, so they can access the same virtual tools available to people attending the meeting remotely.

Usually, companies use enterprise meeting room hardware such as Google Meet Hardware for hybrid meetings. This setup includes a large display, cameras, and audio solution for the entire room. This means in-person attendees don’t have an individual screen in front of them, limiting their access to tools like live captions, subtitles, zoom, reactions, messages, and hand-raising gestures.

With Companion Mode for Google Meet, everyone has access to these interactive features and controls. In-person attendees can use a secondary device to access these tools, while still leveraging the best of in-room audio and video conferencing capabilities of enterprise hardware. They don’t have to join the meeting remotely to use additional meeting tools.

Initially limited to laptop or desktop devices, Google Meet’s Companion Mode is now rolling out to Android and iOS mobile devices. “Using Companion Mode from your mobile device is a quick, light-weight way to participate in meetings without opening a laptop,” Google said in a blog post. “This can be particularly useful in meeting spaces where room for a laptop is limited.”

The feature will be available by default to all Meet users

According to Google, there is no admin control for Meet’s Companion Mode. So, it will be available to all eligible users as soon as the company completes the rollout—rolling out to all Google Workspace customers, Google Workspace Individual customers, and users with personal Google accounts. Once available, you will find a new “Use Companion mode” button on the pre-join screen.

Google will automatically mute your audio and the microphone to avoid audio feedback. The company recommends using meeting room hardware for audio and video. The rollout began on Monday and is expected to be completed in a month or so, with users on Rapid Released domains getting it first. On Android, you must update Google Meet to version 229 or newer and Gmail to version 2024.01.28 or newer. Users with an iPhone require Meet version 225.0 or newer and Gmail version  6.0.231231 or newer to use Companion Mode.