American tech giant Google has launched a standalone web app for its video calling application Google Meet. The web app, also known as a Progressive Web Application (PWA), includes all of the same features as the Google Meet app but is only available on the web.
According to the reports, “The user will no longer have to type out the URL or go to Gmail to start a meeting on Google Meet, the user can simply download the app on your laptop, computer or MacBook and use it.” The announcement by Google comes weeks after Zoom announced its own PWA.
The tech giant has clarified that this PWA of Google Meet has all the same features as Google Meet on the web. It runs on any device with Google Chrome browser version 73, which was released in March 2019, and up. Any device running on Windows, MacOS, Chrome OS, and Linux can support Google Meet PWA. It would be particularly useful for Chromebook users.
“We’ve launched a new Google Meet standalone web app. This Progressive Web Application (PWA) has all the same features as Google Meet on the web but as a standalone app it’s easier to find and use, and it streamlines your workflow by eliminating the need to switch between tabs,” Google said in a statement.
The web app can be downloaded from the Chrome browser. Google will also display pop-ups inviting you to test the Google Meet web app in the upper right-hand corner of the main Google Meet opening page. “You can either hit the installation button provided in the pop-up or close it if you already have the web app,” as per the company statement.
Google said that the app would be rolled out gradually. The users will be available to download it within 15 days. The web app will be available to all Google Workspace customers, as well as G Suite Basic and Business customers and users with personal Google Accounts.
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