Google Meet introduces PiP; in-meeting emoji reactions and more features

Google Meet users will soon be able to use emoji reactions during a meeting. The in-meeting emoji reactions will appear in a participant's video tile or overflow alongside their name if their video tile isn't visible.

"For most companies working in a hybrid model, meetings typically include in-person and remote attendees, and it's essential that each hybrid meeting experience is unified and productive for all. In light of this, we continue to make enhancements to Google Meet to help ensure that all video meetings are secure and inclusive no matter the location or device preference," Google wrote in a blog post on Thursday.

In the coming weeks, Google Meet will also be available directly in Docs, Sheets and Slides, allowing users to quickly start a meeting and bring it to a document, spreadsheet, or presentation.

Next up, Google is bringing the picture-in-picture (PiP) feature to Meet running on Chrome browsers. This feature will let presenters and multitaskers see their audience while navigating different tabs and windows.

In the coming months, people in conference rooms will also be able to add their own personal video tile from Companion mode and their laptop camera.

Later this year, Google will also introduce the ability for meeting hosts to reach a broader audience by live streaming through other platforms. As a host, you will be able to stream meetings directly to YouTube from the Meet activities tab.

In the coming months, Google will also roll out optional client-side encryption in Google Meet (currently in beta). This feature gives direct control of the encryption keys and identity provider used to access those keys.

To make meetings more secure, Google will be introducing optional end-to-end encryption for all meetings later this year.

"Together, these enhancements strengthen the foundation of security that help make secure, hybrid collaboration happen at scale," the company said.