Viewer mode creates more seamless experience for hosting large scale Google Meet calls

Google Meet has introduced a new feature called "Everyone is a Viewer" to enhance the experience and scalability of large meetings on the platform. The new option allows hosts to designate attendees as viewers, who can participate in the meeting but cannot share their audio or video.

When creating a Calendar invite, meeting organizers now have the option to select the "Everyone is a viewer" setting. This designation is particularly useful for larger meetings such as webinars or town halls, where minimizing distractions and keeping the focus on the speaker and content is essential. By designating attendees as viewers, potential meeting disruptions can be reduced, Google said.

To ensure a seamless transition, hosts can also assign co-hosts and contributors who have leading, presenting, or moderating roles in the meeting. This way, they can easily transition viewers to contributors when it is time for the larger group to engage.

When creating or editing a meeting in Calendar, you can configure viewers by going to Video call options (gear icon) > Guests.

Although viewers will be able to use Google Meet features such as Q&As and polls, they will not currently have access to in-meeting chat or emoji reactions. Google plans to introduce viewer support for these features in the future.

Additionally, using the new viewer and contributor roles, Google Workspace Enterprise Plus customers can expand their maximum meeting attendee capacity from 500 to 1,000 individuals. However, for other Google Workspace editions receiving the viewer functionality, the maximum number of meeting attendees will remain the same.

Starting on June 2, 2023, the extended rollout for both the Rapid and Scheduled Release domains will commence and it may take more than 15 days for the feature to be fully visible. It will be available to Google Workspace Business Standard, Business Plus, Enterprise Essentials, Enterprise Standard, Enterprise Plus, Education Fundamentals, Education Standard, Teaching & Learning upgrade, and Education Plus customers.