Ever since the pandemic struck, working from home has become the new norm and this naturally means that most of the meetings now happen over video calls. A consequent rise in the popularity and usage of video conferencing apps was also observed. To gain the upper hand on its competitor Zoom, Google is looking to add a new feature to Google Meet and Duo video calls which allows you to cast your calls onto your home TV.

Google explained:

“2020 may go down as the year of the video call. It’s become an indispensable tool, one we all use more than we likely would have imagined. But meeting fatigue is probably hitting you hard in the afternoon. Using the right devices can make a big difference in making video calls more enjoyable and engaging. Here are a few new ways to use Google Meet and Duo across a series of new devices to create a better meeting experience.”

Google had made its Meet video calling option free to all Gmail users back in April to catch up to the rising popularity of Zoom. Prior to that, Meet was a paid service reserved for Google Suite customers. Since then, it has added other minor additions to catch up with Zoom.

With over 1.8 million Gmail users across the globe, Google might just be able to one-up Zoom if it manages to provide enough value and adding new ways to interact with the app might just help it get closer to that goal. However, this new feature will require you to have a smart TV or other smart screen device and most TV’s require you to plug in a Chromecast dongle which could make this process rather tedious or expensive for some people.

Google is also testing a new beta feature for Android TV which allows users to make video calls directly from their TVs. As for TVs that don’t have a built-in camera, an external USB camera can be attached to use this feature. Click here to read more about the update.