As Google merges its Duo and Meet video communications applications, it’s adding Apple SharePlay-like live-sharing features to Meet, making it easier for call-participants to share information in real time.
Google introduced live-sharing features (e.g. watching YouTube videos together) to Duo in February and is now adding them to Meet.
Live-sharing lets users watch YouTube videos, listen to Spotify tracks, or play Heads Up!, UNO! Mobile, or Kahoot!
These new capabilities are accessible through the three-dot menu’s Activities page, which also offers Q&A and polls. From there, users can start a shared activity. If they want to listen to a Spotify music together, simply hit the Spotify symbol and Meet connects them to the Spotify app. The group session feature supports two to five Spotify Premium users.
Samsung introduced the feature as an exclusive in Januar. It builds on polls and Q&A, with live sharing featured under “Activities” on Android. It lets you “call a third-party app to experience it together.”
Spotify Premium customers can “listen to music in real time” by establishing a group session (currently in beta).
YouTube Premium subscribers can hold watch parties on the Android app until September 29. Open YouTube’s settings menu and tap “Try new features” Select “Watch YouTube with Google Meet” to get started.
YouTube says starting is easy. Simply start a Google Meet call, invite your pals, and play a YouTube video. If prompted, tap Start to begin a live share session. Besides being a fun way to communicate with friends, we can imagine the option being valuable for enterprises where stuff like training material needs to be accessed by numerous individuals concurrently.