Google is reportedly updating the Google Meet Android app to include something called “On-the-Go”, which is a feature designed to make the Meet app more practical and less distracting while walking.
Android Police reports that the feature, which offers a simplified UI and a decrease in battery-draining services, already has the “underlying code” and necessary interface graphics prepared, making it only a matter of time before Android owners can use On-the-Go mode in their meetings.
No word regarding whether or not On-the-Go will be available for other platforms in the future is available at this time.
Principally, On-the-Go serves as an alternative to the standard Android Meet app interface. The concept is that when Meet senses that a user is moving, it prompts them to switch to On-the-Go. If the user accepts the prompt, both the camera and the microphone are automatically turned off, and other Meet participants’ feeds are hidden as well.
On-the-Go also restricts users’ screens to four options: unmute, raise your hand, and audio output as large buttons, and a smaller button to end the call. In theory, this will make it easier for users who are walking (or otherwise commuting) to focus on what’s in front of them as opposed to juggling a smaller interface and multiple screens.
Users can simply exit out of On-the-Go mode at any time by tapping an X in the corner of the screen.
It’s worth noting that users can also select On-the-Go manually from the options menu if they want to enable it without needing to take a hike first. This could be useful in situations in which battery conservation is necessary, but it seems like a fringe benefit more than anything else; the true value of On-the-Go does lie in compacting the Meet experience while literally moving from one space to another.
Android Police notes that Google is still committed to rolling out new features for Google Meet, having added both a picture-in-picture feature for desktop users and a 1080p resolution option for Workspace members. On-the-Go represents another welcome quality of life change, albeit one that–for the time being–will be restricted to Android users.
Dawn Brotherton is a Sr. Staff Writer at The American Genius with an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Central Oklahoma. She is an experienced business writer with over 10 years of experience in SEO and content creation. Since 2017, she has earned $60K+ in grant writing for a local community center, which assists disadvantaged adults in the area.
