In a bustling corporate office, an employee was deeply engaged in a critical conference call when their laptop suddenly signaled a low battery warning. As they frantically searched for a power cord, the imminent threat of disconnection loomed over them. In a desperate bid to maintain continuity, they tried to transfer the call to a colleague or their mobile phone. Unfortunately, the existing technology did not support a smooth transition between devices. Helplessly, they watched as their laptop shut down, the call was dropped, and with it went a potentially lucrative business opportunity. This situation underscored the pressing need for more flexible and mobile communication solutions in the modern workplace.
Google Meet’s latest update addresses this exact problem. The new feature, aptly named “Switch Here,” enhances the flexibility of device usage during calls. In a recent blog post, Google announced, “In today’s world, getting our work done can happen from many locations, across many devices. Beginning today, you can smoothly transfer between devices while on a Google Meet call without hanging up and rejoining.”
The blog post further explained, “For example, if you were taking a Meet call on your mobile phone or tablet, you could smoothly switch to your laptop when you arrived at your desk. You’ll notice the new Switch here option when joining a meeting on your laptop, which will switch the call from your mobile devices while maintaining an ongoing conversation and without worrying about missing important information.”
This feature simplifies the process of switching between your computer and smartphone during a virtual group chat. Whether you are transitioning to your workstation or moving around, you can seamlessly transfer your active Meet call from one device to another. Moreover, this update allows you to join a call from two different devices simultaneously.
To activate the feature, simply open the same meeting link on the new device during your call and click the blue “Switch here” button. If you need to attend the call from both devices, select “Other joining options” and then choose “Join here too.” The rollout of this call-transfer feature has begun and will reach more users in the forthcoming weeks.
