allerlayUntil recently, at least the host needed a paid G Suite account to start video conferences via “Google Hangouts”. With the name change to Google Meet, Google’s video conference tool is free for everyone.
These changes are certainly related to the fact that Zoom has gained more new users in the past months than ever before.
I wrote about the accessibility of Zoom and Microsoft Teams a few weeks ago. Let’s recap the requirements for an accessible video conferencing tool:
The program is platform-independent and is available for different operating systems, browsers, and devices.
- It’s easy to use.
- It is accessible, according to WCAG 2.1.
- It provides advanced accessibility features.
Testing Google Meet’s Accessibility
- You can use Google Meet from any web browser. For mobile devices, there is the Google Meet app, which allows participants to join a video conference or dial in using a dial-in number.
- If the host is using the free version of Google Meet, all participants must have a Google Account.
- Google Meet is accessible to screen reader and keyboard users. There are also keyboard shortcuts that allow keyboard users to turn the camera or microphone on or off. Within Google Meet, for example, you can use the “Ctrl + ?” keys to access the list of key combinations.
- For video meetings in English, it is possible to use automatically generated captions. However, the captions are only available live in the meeting, not in a recording.
How much does Google Meet cost?
Google Meet is aimed at companies and organizations as well as individual users. With the free version, users can hold video conferences with up to 100 participants and a maximum duration of one hour. Until the end of September, the maximum length is extended to 24 hours.
For G Suite accounts, Google Meet is already included. If you don’t need the other features of G Suite, you can use the “G Suite Essentials” price plan for about ten dollars a month to hold longer video conferences with additional functions.
Conclusion: Google Meet is accessible for all
Advantages
- Free of charge and platform-independent
- It can be used from any web browser.
- If you use Google Meet with the Google Chrome browser, you can use Chrome’s accessibility features.
- Keyboard shortcuts for easy operation
- Live closed captions
- Chat function
Disadvantages
- You can’t change or blur the background.
- Subtitles are only available for English and are not recorded if you record a meeting.
- For free meetings, you need a Google Account to attend.
With Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and Google Meet I have already tested the three big ones. But the list is practically endless, and so are my ideas for the next blog posts 🙂 Learn more about the other roles of a virtual event soon.
What video conferencing software do you use? I look forward to your comment.