Google Meet calls are about to get quieter for phone users, thanks to an expansion of the video conferencing software’s noise-canceling feature.
As part of a suite of updates to Google Workspace, the company’s suite of productivity tools, those calling into a meeting from their phone can now enjoy the same background noise elimination as desktop users.
Google says the technology “can remove background noise such as typing, a door slamming, room echoes, or sounds of a nearby construction site” to enable full focus for participants without distraction. It will also make it easier to hear.
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The tech giant says it only filters out noise that is not clear to the human voice. So it won’t filter out sounds coming from other sources, like a nearby TV or radio, or other people talking in the room.
It is therefore advised that if other sounds are needed in your call, such as playing instruments, for example, that the noise cancellation should be turned off in order for it to be picked up. This is probably why the feature is turned off by default for those who subscribe to a Google Workspace education level.
To toggle the noise cancellation on or off, you need to click or tap the gear icon that opens the settings when using Google Meet. For iPhone and Android users, they should see the Noise Canceling option which they can tap to activate or deactivate. Desktop/laptop users will find this option under the Sound section of Settings.
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However, it appears that for those calling into the meeting with their phones, noise cancellation is activated depending on whether your organization has it turned on or off previously.
Noise cancellation for phone users is now available for the following Workspace customers only: Business Standard, Business Plus, Enterprise Essentials, Enterprise Standard, Enterprise Plus, Education Plus, Teaching and Learning Upgrade, and Frontline.
Noise cancellation in general is not currently available to those in “South Africa, the United Arab Emirates and the immediate surrounding areas”. Google also states that those using an electronic larynx should have the feature turned off, and that users of a Pexip device have it on by default, and should refer to the device’s documentation to turn it off.
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