Google Meet is now installed by default on new Chromebooks

With the latest update to Chrome OS, Google announced that its Google Meet app will be preinstalled on all Chromebooks. The announcement is part of the company’s larger effort to make its operating system suitable for remote meetings.

The new feature shouldn’t make too much of a difference for longtime Chromebook users who have already installed a favorite video chat platform. But for new students getting a Chromebook for the first time, or others trying out the platform, it could definitely be the difference between using Google Meet for meetings and social calls or going to competitors like Zoom. .

Google also claims to have improved the performance of the Google Meet experience, including “adapting video calls to different network conditions and adjusting video performance when sharing screens.”

Chrome OS update didn’t install Google Meet in our recent testing. This update therefore only seems to apply to new Chromebooks.

Image: Google

The update also includes an updated emoji picker with a search bar (which you can bring up with the Launcher + Shift + Space shortcut), eSIM support on eSIM-enabled Chromebooks (including the recent Acer Chromebook Spin 513), a new digital magazine for kids and families in the Explore app, and a new collection of wallpapers.