Google has added a new waiting room feature to Google Meet, allowing hosts to more securely manage participant entry. This virtual space allows participants to wait for the host to allow them to join the meeting, giving the host more control over the flow of the meeting and helping to protect users’ privacy. Participants in the waiting room will receive a message when they arrive at the correct location. This feature is turned off by default and must be enabled manually. The latest feature is designed to protect the privacy of Google Meet participants, especially sensitive discussions.
Google Meet lets hosts prevent waiting room “Zoomombing”
The company announced Thursday the addition of waiting rooms to Google Meet. This feature allows the host or co-host to place participants in a waiting room before they are allowed to join the call. This helps prevent unnecessary interruptions like “Zoomombing” during the meeting and gives the host time to prepare before letting participants in.
With the latest update, hosts and co-hosts can enable waiting rooms before meetings start, ensuring a more organized discussion. They can also admit or reject participants and take them back to the waiting room if needed. This feature also allows the host to send one-way announcements to those waiting, making it ideal for interviews, parent-teacher conferences, and other sensitive discussions.
How to create a meeting waiting room
When scheduling a meeting in Google Calendar, users can enable waiting rooms by following these steps:
- Go to calendar and select Create>Event.
- Add a title for the event, enter the details, and click More choices.
- In the Event Details tab, click Add Google Meet video conferencing and video calling options.
- Open waiting room.
- At the bottom, click save and then save.
Google Meet users can message waiting room participants with a click chat> Select waiting room In the To field > enter your message and click send.
Moderators can click people After joining the meeting tab.
Participants in the Google Meet waiting room will see a message confirming they are in the correct location and will join the call shortly. As mentioned before, the waiting room functionality will be turned off for end users by default. However, administrators can change the default settings at the domain, organizational unit (OU), or group level.
The new feature started rolling out on October 23 and is confirmed to be available to all users within 15 days. Business Standard, Business Plus, Enterprise Essentials, Enterprise Standard, Enterprise Plus, Enterprise Essentials, Enterprise Essentials Plus, Education Plus, and Google Workspace personal accounts are confirmed to receive this update.
