Google Meet Gets a New Power‑Up: Silencing and Removing the “Sound‑bites”
Remember how Zoom let you mute or kick out the person who keeps shouting “I’m right!” from the line? Google’s own Meet just lifted the restriction and now offers the same “noisy‑guest” tools for meeting hosts.
What’s New?
- Silent Sentry – The host can lock a participant’s audio, or their video, so the portal stays silent and still.
- No Unmute Hack – Once you hit the lock button, those folks can’t just flick the mute switch back on.
- Video Closed‑Door Policy – If the video lock is on, all their camera feeds stay closed.
And it’s not just the main room. Breakout rooms inherit the same rules as soon as the lock is activated. If a lock is had in a breakout room, the host keeps the control over the entire meeting and any sibling rooms.
Who Gets the Deal?
- Users on very old versions of Google Meet who can’t use the new locking feature will be politely asked to upgrade.
- If the upgrade isn’t possible, the host or co‑host can simply remove them from the meeting.
How It’s Rolling Out
Google’s first roll‑out is live across what they call “Rapid release domains”. From late September to mid‑October, a gradual deployment will bring the feature to the entire user base. Keep an eye out for those “locked” icons next time you’re in a meeting.
All Done – Together
With this upgrade, Google Meet now rounds up the same set of “mute‑and‑kick” options as Zoom, giving hosts a smoother, less chaotic conversation flow. The next time you’re in a meeting, you can hope everyone stays quiet, and if someone can’t, you’ll literally be able to remove them! Peace, love, and perfect audio.
