What’s happened? Google is rolling out a new waiting room feature for Google Meet to give hosts more control over who enters the meeting and when. The update introduces a virtual holding area where attendees can wait until the host decides to let them in (or not). Here are the key features:
- Hosts or co-hosts can enable a waiting room before the meeting starts.
- Attendees can be admitted or denied entry from the waiting room.
- One-way announcements can be sent to waiting participants, which is useful for quick updates or reminders.
- Existing participants in a meeting can also be moved back into the waiting room if needed.
The feature has already begun rolling out and will gradually become available to users over the next couple of weeks to Business Standard/Plus, Enterprise Standard/Plus/Essentials, Education Plus, the Teaching and Learning add-on, and Workspace Individual subscribers.
This is important because: Google Meet has been rolling out a series of impressive upgrades lately, including an AI-powered makeup feature that helps users look camera-ready instantly. Now, it might sound like a small addition, but for anyone managing busy or sensitive meetings, the new waiting room upgrades how hosts manage privacy and preparedness, especially in sensitive settings.
- Hosts can prepare in private before letting others in, which is ideal for interviews, board meetings, or parent-teacher meetings.
- It adds a layer of security, keeping unwanted participants or disruptions at bay.
- For workspace admins, the feature is off by default but can be turned on at the domain, group, or organizational unit level
Why should I care? If you use Google Meet for work, classes, or client calls, this update gives you a smarter way to manage your space.
- No more awkward moments when someone joins mid-prep; you decide when the meeting begins.
- With Google Meet finally adding its own waiting room, users have one more option other than Zoom’s ‘waiting room’ or Microsoft Teams’ ‘lobby’ features to manage who joins their meetings.