Google Meet Gets Smarter with Adaptive Audio: Eliminating Echo in Multi-Laptop Meetings

Google Meet, a popular video conferencing platform, is receiving a clever upgrade to enhance audio quality during meetings. The new feature, aptly named "Adaptive Audio," tackles a common problem: the disruptive echo that often occurs when multiple laptops participate in a call from the same location.

This announcement comes on the heels of Google Meet's integration with the powerful Gemini 1.5 Pro Large Language Model (LLM), bringing features like information retrieval and meeting summarization to the platform.

What is Adaptive Audio?

Announced alongside other Workspace features, Adaptive Audio automatically detects when multiple laptops are joining a Google Meet call from the same physical location. It then cleverly synchronizes the microphones and speakers of these devices to eliminate echo and ensure crystal-clear audio for everyone involved.

Adaptive Audio: Making Meetings Flow Seamlessly in Untraditional Spaces

As detailed in a Google Workspace blog post, Adaptive Audio automatically detects when multiple laptops are present in the same virtual meeting space. Here's the magic: it then synchronizes the microphones and speakers of these devices to eliminate the echo typically caused by close proximity.

This feature is a game-changer for utilizing non-traditional meeting spaces, such as cafes or lounges. It also caters to situations where dedicated video conferencing rooms are limited or unavailable.

"This allows teams to create ad-hoc meeting spaces anywhere with just their laptops," Google explains, "where everyone can be heard clearly, without the inconvenience of crowding around a single laptop."

Automatic Activation and Intuitive User Experience

When multiple participants from the same room join a call, Adaptive Audio activates automatically. A visual cue appears in the top-left corner of the screen to indicate the feature is functioning.

Within the "Participants" panel, Google Meet intelligently groups these individuals and merges their audio to ensure clear and uninterrupted communication for everyone involved.

The feature comes enabled by default, and there's currently no administrative control to disable it. However, Google warns that turning it off might introduce echo or unwanted noise. Users who wish to adjust this setting can access it through Settings > Audio > Adaptive Audio.

Gradual Rollout Makes Adaptive Audio Accessible

The rollout of Adaptive Audio on Google Meet will be gradual. Over the coming weeks, it will become available to all Google Workspace users with specific subscriptions, including Gemini Enterprise, Gemini Business, Gemini Education, Gemini Education Premium, and the AI Meetings and Messaging add-on.

Conclusion

The introduction of Adaptive Audio to Google Meet represents a significant advancement in video conferencing technology. By addressing the common issue of echo and audio feedback when using multiple laptops in the same room, Google is enhancing the user experience and making it easier for teams to communicate clearly, regardless of their location. As this feature becomes available to more users in the coming weeks, it is set to revolutionize how we conduct virtual meetings in both traditional and non-traditional spaces.