Google opens Meet calls on Glass for all Workspace users

Google has announced that all Workspace (formerly G Suite) customers can now apply to access Google Meet through its face-mounted Glass device as part of an open beta program.

While many people will likely have forgotten all about the once consumer-focused Google Glass, the internet giant has continued to offer the augmented reality (AR) contraption to businesses as part of an Enterprise edition. So technical workers needing to carry out a real-world task with their hands, for example, could view written instructions directly in their line-of-sight without distractions.

Back in October, Google announced that its Google Meet video-conferencing app was coming to Glass as part of an early-access program. This meant that workers on-the-ground, perhaps in a warehouse or data center, could join a Google Meet conference and let others see what they are looking at in the field. This could be particularly useful when trying to solicit help or feedback on a technical issue from experts based in a different location.

Above: Google Meet for Glass in a data center

Now, the integration is available to all Google Workspace customers using Glass Enterprise edition 2. Given that Google Meet is integrated directly into Workspace, this means that Glass users can join a scheduled meeting in Google Calendar directly from Glass.

Remote control

This latest expansion serves as part of a broader push toward tools that help workers carry out their jobs remotely. While there are cost and effort-savings with this type of technology, in that large groups of people don’t necessarily have to congregate at a site to discuss or fix a problem, there is the added benefit of enabling team collaboration while keeping people socially-distanced. So a less technically-minded person can look at a piece of equipment and implement a fix by receiving guidance from a technician on the other side of the world.