What’s changing
One of the challenges of joining a virtual meeting from a conference room, is that the people in the room are identified by the name of the conference room rather than as individuals. But that’s changing today with the new companion mode check-in feature in Google Meet. If you’re joining a meeting from a conference room, you can use companion mode on your personal device to check in to that specific room. Room check-in allows everyone on the call to easily identify who is in the conference room, rather than simply seeing the conference room name.
You’ll be prompted to check into a room after joining companion mode on your personal device.
Checked-in participants will appear under the conference room
Checked-in participants will be grouped under the conference room in the people panel
Room check-in will be available by default, but admins can turn this feature off for specific Meet hardware devices or specific users. For more information, see the “Additional details” section.
Who’s impacted
Admins and end users
Why you’d use it
Rather than being represented in a meeting just by the conference room you’re in, room check-in helps ensure everyone in the meeting can see your name and be aware of your presence.
If you turn on your personal video tile in companion mode, it along with the conference room name, will be shown while you’re presenting.
You’ll notice the same experience when using hand raise as well.
If your personal video tile is turned off, we’ll display the hand raise icon next to your name in the conference room view.
The conference room name is visible when using your personal tile & the hand raise feature.
Combined, this helps boost individual representation, making meetings more equitable, inclusive, and collaborative.
Additional details
Admin controls for room check-in
Admins can turn off room check-in for specific Meet hardware devices within an organizational unit in the Admin console under Admin Console > Devices > Google Meet hardware > [Organizational Unit] > Device Settings > Room Check-In > Uncheck “Users can check in to this device’s meeting room.” This can be particularly useful in instances where the check-in feature should not be used on dedicated executive devices or in large meeting rooms.
Admins can also turn this feature off for specific users within an organizational unit. Admins can use this option to slowly rollout room check-in department by department, for example. To turn room check-in off for specific users, navigate to Apps > Google Workspace > Google Meet > [Organizational Unit] > Meet Video Settings > Room Check-In > Uncheck “All users can check in to eligible rooms” in the admin console.
Device Support
This feature is only available for Google Meet hardware devices; interop devices are not supported at this time.
Getting Started
- Admins:
- This feature will be ON by default and can be disabled at organizational unit level for specific hardware devices or users. Visit the Help Center to learn more about managing Meet settings.
- End users:
- If enabled by your admin, room check-in will be available for all users joining companion mode from meet.google.com, or by using g.co/companion. Check-in by selecting the Google Meet hardware device on the call. Visit the Help Center to learn more about using Companion mode for hybrid learning & collaboration, as well as this video guide.
Rollout pace
- Rapid Release domains: Extended rollout (potentially longer than 15 days for feature visibility) starting on June 22, 2023
- Scheduled Release domains: Gradual rollout (up to 15 days for feature visibility) July 24, 2023
Availability
- Available to all Google Workspace customers with Meet Hardware devices