By Sodeinde Temidayo David
Big technology company, Google LLC, has revealed a new development on google mail (Gmail) that will enable its users to make voice and video calls through the Gmail platform.
This was unveiled as part of a major expansion to Google Workspace, with the company saying it hopes to make spontaneous workplace meetings a more common occurrence.
The new development will be embedded in the update of the app and the web version, which means updated will be able to call friends and colleagues alike as Google looks to make the service one of its central apps.
As the company looks to make hybrid working less painful for workers spread between home and the office, direct calling using the company's Google Meet video conferencing tool will be coming to the Gmail mobile app.
The new Google Meet calling feature aims to ensure that users will no longer need to open up Google Meet to join a meeting or make a quick unprepared call, but can do so directly from the Gmail app itself.
Users will be able to open up their Gmail mobile app on Android or iOS and call contacts on their PC, laptop or mobile device, quickly and easily connecting co-workers.
According to Google, the new Meet calling feature is designed to be a seamless experience of initiating a video or audio call between one or more participants that better supports the flow of hybrid work by allowing for more spontaneous connections.
Google further made it known that its expanded call functions are not limited to Gmail and will also be coming to all the natural endpoints in Workspace including chats, contact cards and spaces.
This includes a new companion mode for Google Meet that will allow users to seamlessly join meetings from their personal device while leveraging in-room audio and video and will roll out from November 2021.
Google also revealed that Google Meet will soon be getting live-translated captions, available in English to French, German, Spanish and Portuguese later this year, with more languages coming soon.
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