- Google Meet introduced tile pairing for desktop in 2023, letting you lock two participant windows together.
- Paired tiles are ideal for working with an interpreter, especially for sign language.
- Support has now started rolling out to Android, with iOS joining in early November.
Whether you got into them keeping up with your work team over pandemic, or just like to check in face-to-face with extended family, most of us have had plenty of chances to participate in video conferences by now. As such, you probably know just how dynamic the bigger ones can be, with participants sliding around and grabbing focus when they turn on their cameras, lead the chat, or share their screens. But sometimes it makes sense to put some limits on some of those changes, and today Google’s sharing an important Meet upgrade along those lines when it comes to accessibility.
Three years ago, Google introduced a new Meet feature for desktops: tile pairing. The idea is that if one participant needs another’s help, like if they’re acting as an interpreter — and sign language is probably the obvious use-case here — Meet can lock their tiles together to act as a set. You’ll always see the two nest up against each other, and both will show up with a blue outline when one of them is speaking.