Google Workspace released an update today that could make video conferencing in meeting rooms a bit more convenient. With its new ‘adaptive audio’ feature, Google Meet will sync the mics and speakers of all the laptops in a room for an improved overall audio experience. It will offer setup without any input from users. As soon as Meet detects the presence of multiple laptops in a room, it will automatically sync them.
Google says this will also fix the issue of “awkward echoes and audio feedback”. The company proposed this as a solution to limited meeting rooms or insufficient video conferencing equipment. It hopes that the update will help employees conduct meetings from any room in their workplace and not have to look for appropriate equipment or huddle around a single laptop.
Google promises a gradual rollout of the feature starting on May 22 and a full rollout starting on June 5, 2024. Apparently, the feature will be on by default and you will have to go into settings to turn it off. You can do this by navigating to Settings > Audio > Adaptive audio. Also, there is no admin control for this feature so everyone participating will have the same mic and speaker rights.
Adaptive audio is available for Google Workspace customers with the Gemini Enterprise, Gemini Business, Gemini Education, Gemini Education Premium, and the AI Meetings and Messaging add-on. Note that you can’t use the feature with Meet hardware devices.