Google Meet is one of the most used video conferencing apps, and part of its popularity stems from the fact that it’s incredibly easy to use. There is no desktop app you have to download to use the app. And while it’s a plus point for many users, a lot of others find it an inconvenience.
And no wonder people who are fond of desktop apps do find it hard when there is no desktop app to love. There’s a reason desktop apps are popular: who doesn’t like the ease of accessing everything straight from their desktop, cutting down the need to open the browser and then the website? You could download Google Meet as a PWA on your Windows desktop. Or, you could have something even better.
Everyone’s favorite Chrome extension Meet Enhancement Suite (MES) now also offers a desktop app for Google Meet. Wondering why’d you want to use a third-party app? If only there was just one reason! Using the MES desktop app delivers all the features the extension offers straight to your desktop. And there sure are quite a few of them. So, let’s sally forth to see how to get this app for your system.
Downloading and Installing the Google Meet MES Desktop App
Before you download the MES Google Meet desktop app, remember that it is a third-party app, and Google Meet has no official desktop app. The only way to officially access Google Meet is through the web app. And if you’re worried about missing new updates or receiving them at a slower pace than the official web app, let us put those to rest right now. MES uses the concept of a Progressive Web App (PWA) to deliver you Google Meet functionality in their desktop app. So, you won’t be missing out or lagging behind on any updates.
Meet Enhancement Suite has desktop apps for both Mac and Windows users. To download the app, go to the link given below.
Then, click the download button for your OS to get the desktop app. The download would start automatically.
Go to your downloads and run the “.exe” file to install the app.
It’ll take a couple of seconds to install. Once installed, the app will open on its own.
Using MES Google Meet Desktop app
MES will create a shortcut icon on your desktop that you can use to open the app. After opening the app, you’ll have to log in to your Google account with which you want to use Meet.
Using Multiple Accounts
The only drawback with the MES desktop app is that you cannot log in to multiple accounts and switch between them with ease as you can from the browser. Although you’ll see the option to ‘Add another account’, clicking it will only open the login link in the browser.
To switch accounts in the MES desktop app, you’ll have to log out from the current account and then log in to the other. But, don’t use the ‘Sign Out’ option that you see by clicking your Google profile picture. It’ll log you out from your Google account from your browser, but not the MES app.
To log out from the MES app instead, go to the Menu bar and click the ‘Meet Enhancement Suite’ menu option.
Then, select ‘Log Out’ from the menu. This will log you out from the app, and you can then log in to another account.
Using Basic Google Meet functionality
Now, using Google Meet to start or join meetings in the desktop app is the same as from the web app.
Using all basic Google Meet functionality is also almost the same, except the ‘Present Now’ feature. You can chat, use a whiteboard, turn on captions, record a meeting, conduct polls, Q&A sessions, and use breakout rooms just as you can in the Google Meet web app.
Note: The MES Google Meet desktop app doesn’t support Virtual Backgrounds yet.
The ‘Present Now’ feature doesn’t work conventionally in the MES desktop app. You cannot present from the MES desktop app. But it rather serves as the window from where you can see what you’re presenting, so you don’t have to depend on other participants to know whether “they can see your screen?”
Clicking the ‘Present Now’ button in the MES desktop app will open Google Meet in your browser. To present, you’ll have to join the meeting from the browser too. But as you can join a meeting in Google Meet from the same account more than once, it won’t be a problem.
Using additional MES features
The real difference comes when using the features MES offers. There is a boatload of extra features MES offers that elevates your meeting experience with Google Meet. Now, to be able to use these extra features in the desktop app, you have to buy an MES Pro subscription.
If you already have an MES Pro subscription, and you use it on the browser on the same computer, you can activate your license in the MES app too. But if you use it on another device, you’ll need a new subscription as the Meet Pro license is linked to your computer and not your Google account.
Go to the menu bar and click the ‘Meet Pro’ menu option. Then, select ‘Preferences’ from the menu.
Another window will open. Click the ‘Or Activate License’ button.
Enter your License key and click the ‘Activate’ button to activate your Pro subscription.
With the Pro subscription, you get many features like mute all, dark mode, auto-join, admit all, emoji reactions, transparent meeting bar, remove all, mirror video for all, and many more. Unfortunately, the features that are available for free with the Chrome extension fall under the paid category when using the MES desktop app.
You also get the rather exciting ‘Picture-in-Picture’ feature that lets you see your meeting and do other stuff on your device at the same time.
The MES Google Meet desktop app is a great way to use Google Meet, especially if are an MES Pro subscriber. Even if you aren’t, but want all the great features that the native web app lacks, the subscription for a single device costs as little as $5/ month.
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