Having a second screen is useful when you're in a meeting room and you want to participate in activities or share your screen without worrying about echo. Learn more about Companion mode .
Compare Companion mode to full audio & video
Feature | Companion mode (second screen) | Full audio & video (primary screen or meeting-room hardware) |
---|---|---|
Share your screen & view presentations
|
✔ | ✔ |
Chat, polls, Q&A, & host controls, depending on your Google Workspace edition
|
✔ | ✔ |
Camera & self-view
|
✔ | ✔ |
Mic & meeting audio
|
✔ | |
Participant tiles
|
✔ | |
Join from mobile devices
|
✔ | ✔ |
Connect to a meeting
- Choose an option:
- In a meeting invite, click Join. Then, under Other joining options, click Use Companion mode. If you are in a conference room, check in so that your name and the room name appear on your participant tile. See Use Companion Mode for hybrid learning & collaboration .
- In your browser, enter g.co/companionand select a scheduled meeting or enter a meeting code.
- Join with full audio and video (non-Companion mode) on another screen to speak, listen to participants, or view the participant grid.
Turn on your camera
In a video meeting, click Turn on camera .
When your camera is on in Companion mode, your participant tile:
- Shows up to other Meet users who join with full audio and video
- Shows up on meeting room hardware only when you raise your hand and/or are checked in
- Never shows as an active speaker
You can also change your background during a video meeting .
Share your screen
- In the video meeting, click Present now.
- Choose to share your entire screen, a window, or a tab.
For details, see Present during a video meeting .
Host & participate in activities
Activity | More info |
Chat | Send chat messages to video meeting participants |
Hand raising | Raise your hand during a video meeting |
Polls (Activities Polls) | Conduct a poll during a video meeting |
Q&A (Activities Q&A) | Ask questions in a video meeting |
Whiteboard (Activities Whiteboarding) | Use a whiteboard in a video meeting |
Captions (More Turn on captions) | Use captions in a video meeting |
Attendance tracking (More Settings Host controls Attendance tracking) | Track attendance in video meetings and live streams |
End a Companion mode connection
At the bottom of the meeting window, click Leave call .
Download Companion mode quick start (PDF)
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