A man is having a video call with a woman

How to check video and audio quality before joining a Google Meet video call


Why you should test your  video and sound before joining a meeting a Google Meet call

As more people work remotely, looking and sounding your best on a Google Meet video call has become increasingly important. 

 Poor audio and video quality make communication difficult, and video and audio issues disrupt the flow of a meeting, making a big difference in how colleagues and clients perceive us. 

 Using Google Meet’s features effectively can help you make the most of your meetings, and making a few simple tweaks can iron out issues before they occur.

Introducing the Green Room

Fortunately, Google has introduced the ‘Green Room’ to allow you to test your microphone and video settings before entering a Google Meet call. 

This feature allows you to confirm that all your connected devices, cameras, and microphones are correctly configured and prevents issues such as:

  • A muted microphone.

  • Missing speaker connections. 

  • Poor sound quality.

  • Bad lighting and camera positioning.

How to access the Google Meet Green Room

This section will explain how to access the Green Room to test your speaker, microphone, and camera.

  • First, ensure you’re logged into your Google account and head to ‘Google Meet’ by clicking on the link for your invited meeting.

  • You’re greeted by the ‘Ready to Join’ page.

  • Here, you’ll have several options to help you prepare for the meeting.


Access the google meet green room

  1. The tab labeled ‘Check your audio and video’ will take you to a screen where you can test your audio and video quality.

  2. Clicking any of the three circular icons on the main screen will do the following:

    • Enable the microphone.

    • Enable the camera.

    • Enable you to add dynamic fx, backdrops, and blurs to your video.

  3. Clicking ‘Join now’ will join the meeting.

    If you’ve not already done so, you should enable the camera and microphone by clicking their respective icons.

  4. Next, click on the button that says ‘check your audio and video.’

    click to check your audio and videoThe ‘Preview’ window opens. This area shows your current active camera and audio settings and allows you to record and playback a six-second video and audio sample.

  5. Click on the tab labeled ‘Capture and diagnose.’

  6. Google Meet will display messages telling you that ‘Recording is about to start’ and prompting you to ‘Say something’ to test your microphone.

Testing the speaker & camera

say something to text the audioWhen the recording is complete, you will see a screen that displays the result and will be able to play the recording back.

The Effects Menu

google meet visual effects

The tab directly to the left of the ‘Preview’ window allows adding a range of effects and blurs to the main camera feed. You can also upload custom backgrounds.

select backgrounds from the effect menu

Audio and video Menu

 check the audio qualityThe tab on the top-right of the window allows you to switch between different audio and video outputs on your computer.

How to test the camera and microphone quality during a Google Meet video call 

If you're already in a Google Meet video call and need to test or adjust the audio and video quality, there are a few things that you can do.

  1. Click on the circle with 3 white dots at the bottom of your screen. Then scroll down and select "Settings." A window will pop up with your current audio and video settings.

  2. You change your camera, microphone, and speaker settings by selecting from the drop-down menus. You can also see a small preview of your selected camera.

  3. You can test your speaker by selecting the ‘Test’ button on the right of the ‘Speakers’ menu. You can also change the resolution or frame rate your camera uses. 

check the camera

FAQs 

What are the rules for Google Meet?

Technically there aren’t any. However, the same unwritten rules apply to online meetings as to meetings held offline.

  • Prepare for the meeting in advance. 

  • Setup in a quiet environment.

  • Mute your microphone when others are talking.

  • Pay attention to the structure and flow of the meeting.

  • Take notes.

Why can't I hear the other person on Google Meet?

There are many possible explanations. Amongst the most likely are:

  • Incorrect audio settings in Google Meet.

  • A problem with your computer's audio drivers.

  • Problems with your microphone.

Make sure you use the correct audio inputs and troubleshoot your setup using this guide. 

Can I stream in 1080p on Google Meet?

No, Google Meet currently supports resolutions up to 720p. You can set the resolution for sending and receiving video in the setting menu explained in the previous section of this article.

Is Google Meet free?

Yes. Anyone with a Google Account can create a Google Meet and invite others. Up to 100 participants can meet for 60 minutes.

Premium features such as meeting recording, breakout rooms, live-streaming, polls, and international dial-in are available with a Google Workspace Edition or Google One subscription.

Can a Google Meet be secretly recorded?

It’s certainly possible to record a Google Meet without requesting the permission of the participants to do so. However, in some circumstances, this might be considered illegal.

Numerous screen recording apps can capture Google Meet recordings, and apps like Notta can live-transcribe a Google Meet call.

Conclusion 

You should now have all the information you need to use Google Meet effectively and to ensure you always look and sound your best on every call!

While you’re here, why not download our free Notta speech-to-text Chrome extension?  It’s a great way to capture transcripts of all your online videos, courses, and podcasts.

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