The fragmentated nature of collaborative video tools causes problems for people working with different platforms. New interoperability between Google Meet and Microsoft Teams is helping to level things out, making cross platform communication much simpler.
Google has announced that it is adding video conferencing device interoperability for Google Meet with Microsoft Teams – but it is worth noting that while this is something that will be widely welcomed, it is not without its caveats.
Perhaps the biggest thing to keep in mind is that some of the interoperability is limited to Chrome OS devices. While these have become slightly more widely use, there is no denying that they are rather more niche than devices running other operating systems.
In a notice posted on the Google Workspace Update pages, Google says:
We’re introducing video conferencing device interoperability for Google Meet with Microsoft Teams, which will allow you to:
- Join Microsoft Teams meetings from Chrome OS- based Google Meet hardware devices
- Join Google Meet meetings from Windows-based Microsoft Teams Rooms devices
Please note that this interoperability feature is currently only available on Chrome OS-based Google Meet Rooms and Windows-based Microsoft Teams Rooms. For instructions on how to set up Google Meet on Microsoft Teams Rooms devices, consult the admin documentation provided by Microsoft.
As this change is subject to a rapid release schedule, the wait time to be able to take advantage of it is fairly short. Google shares the following timeline:
Rollout pace
Admin console setting
End user visibility
The company also shares the following information about how to get started:
More information is available on the Google Workspace Admin Help page (Allow Meet hardware to join third-party video conferencing services), and the Google Workspace Admin Help page (Join Microsoft Teams meetings with Google Meet hardware).
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