Google finally brings a feature regular Meet has had for years to Meet hardware

Google has announced in a recent blog post that you can now view participants who were invited to a call on Google Meet but have yet to join the call on Google Meet hardware. In the People panel, you'll see an "Also Invited" section listing all invitees who have not joined the call, as well as their RSVP status. According to Google:

This feature makes it easier for you to start meetings more efficiently by quickly determining who has not joined or who has declined.

This feature has been available on regular Google Meet for more than two years now, albeit for certain types of Google accounts.

If you're wondering, Google Meet hardware refers to a range of dedicated devices designed to enhance the video conferencing experience on Google Meet.

These devices, developed in collaboration with third-party manufacturers like ASUS, integrate seamlessly with Google Workspace applications, offering high-quality audio and video for meeting rooms of various sizes.

If you're an end user, this feature will be available by default for Meet calls with a Calendar event on Google Meet hardware devices as long as you're using an eligible Google Workspace edition.

In terms of availability, this feature is accessible on Google Meet hardware devices for Google Workspace users subscribed to Enterprise Standard and Plus, Business Starter, Standard, and Plus, as well as Education Fundamentals, Standard, Plus, and the Teaching & Learning add-on. It is also available for nonprofit organizations using Google Workspace.

The rollout will follow a phased approach. For Rapid Release domains, the feature will gradually roll out starting today, March 10, 2025, and may take up to 15 days for full visibility.

For Scheduled Release domains, the rollout will begin on March 17, 2025, but it could take longer than 15 days for the feature to become available.

This is the first update that Google Meet hardware is getting this year. Back in 2022, Google brought the Dark Canvas theme to Meet hardware home screens, which darkens elements on the home screen when the device is not in use.

Then, a year later, Google rolled out bi-directional interoperability between Zoom and Google Meet, allowing users to join Zoom meetings on their Meet hardware and Google Meet meetings through Zoom Rooms.

On the regular Google Meet side, Google recently improved AI-generated backgrounds with an upgraded image generation model.