To simplify joining meetings from a conference room and prevent disruptive audio feedback, Google Meet now intelligently guides users to the optimal joining option.
Meet knows when you are in a room using an ultrasonic signal, and displays a Meeting room detected, use companion mode button before you join the call. This feature helps ensure a seamless, echo-free start to meetings. When users join using the highlighted Companion mode button, they are automatically checked into the correct room.
As a Google Workspace administrator, you can determine which options to use for proximity detection: Connect room, Automatic room check-in, both, or none (proximity detection off).
Supported devices
For information on hardware devices that support Proximity Detection, refer to the Meet certified peripherals and devices listed here and here. Devices not included in these lists may still support Proximity Detection, but a Google Workspace administrator must test them for compatibility.
Availability and known limitations
- Proximity detection is only supported on Meet web (meet.google.com) for Chrome.
- Proximity detection is limited to a call's greenroom and a brief period after joining companion mode. Proximity detection won't function on g.co/present or g.co/companion. However, it will detect once the user joins companion mode for a brief period after joining.
- If proximity detection is unsuccessful or is unavailable, manual room check-in is available after joining companion mode.
- Meet hardware devices will stop sending the ultrasound signal after 50 participants have joined the call.
Troubleshooting
If proximity check-in does not work, you can still check in manually after joining the call. Troubleshoot using these suggestions.
- Check the selected microphone.
- Proximity detection will only use the selected microphone. Using a USB headset or dongle as your microphone may cause proximity detection to be unsuccessful. This can happen if the microphone's range is too limited, its audio processing filters out ultrasonic sound, or the headset is powered off.
- Check if any audio processing is enabled. Audio processing might
filter out the ultrasonic sound.
- For Windows users, try disabling audio enhancements.
- For Mac OS users, try turning off voice isolation.
- For ChromeOS users, try turning off noise cancellation or studio-style mic.
Turning off proximity detection in a meeting
Users can disable proximity detection during a meeting from the in-call room controls. This setting will reset to ON when the device joins a new call. Using the Meet hardware touch controller:
- In a meeting, tap More
Detection. - Turn off Proximity.