Google Meet Troubleshooting

As a lover of technology I have to admit that sometimes technology gives the impression that it just does not want to be our friend. Whether it is glitchy, loses connection, or just stops responding, technology can be frustrating. That frustration is exacerbated during the pandemic by our need to use it more than ever to stay connected to our students and deliver a quality learning experience. It might be helpful to think of your relationship with technology as that, a relationship. In any good friendship things get rocky, there may be periods where connecting is tough, and sometimes (gasp!) you might be the problem.

So the first step to any good troubleshooting plan is to take a deep breath, think through what you've just done, and try to remember whether any step to get where you are now was different than what you normally take. Then take another deep breath and begin the problem solving. Today we're focusing on Google Meet specifically.

What are some Google Meet best practices so I can ensure I have the best chance for a quality Google Meet experience from the start?

  • Limit the amount of Chrome tabs, Chrome windows, and other programs you have open. Ideally you will have your Google Meet open in one Chrome window and what you are presenting to your students open in another window.

  • Choose "Standard" for your send and receive resolution, here's a video!

  • If you need to share audio/video during a Google Meet, share it through a Chrome Tab, here's a video how to do that!

My student can't rejoin my Google Meet, what is going wrong and what can I do?

We've discovered that some students are unable to rejoin a Google Meet after they do one of two things illustrated on the image below.

  • Click the X in the upper right corner of the Chrome window to close Chrome

  • Click the X in the upper right corner of the Chrome tab where the Meet is active

The solution is to remind your students to exit the Google Meet by clicking on the "Leave call" button on white bar at the bottom of the screen. The "Leave call" button is between the microphone and camera buttons.

If a student does exit the Google Meet by clicking one of the Xs they only way they can rejoin is if you create a completely new Google Meet link.

The Google Meet seems to be lagging, the video & audio is choppy...

  • Remember to set your send and receive video resolution to standard, here's a video!

  • Consider limiting the amount of Chrome tabs and windows you have open. Open also includes whatever you have minimized. So just because your Google Meet is happening one Chrome window with no other tabs doesn't mean it isn't slowed down by the other Chrome window with 10 tabs and the Adobe window and Microsoft Excel window that are minimized.

  • Check your internet connection. If at home consider how many other devices may be connected. If at school check with Scott so we can determine if there is slowness with our connection.

  • Meetings of 15 or more participants are likely to experience some struggles, especially if you are working at home. Patience for all participants is key.

  • Leaving and rejoining the meeting may help.

Google Meet attendees say that I keep freezing, or you notice a particular student keeps freezing

If only one attendee is experiencing problems it is probably related to their device or their internet connection.

What is the best way to share a video through a Google Meet?

The best way is by presenting a "Chrome tab". Here's a video! Ideally, you won't need to share too many videos through a Google Meet because difficulties are common. Also remember to limit the number of Chrome tabs and windows you have open.

I have a co-teacher or someone supporting students that I would like to have access to meeting control and moderation features (like muting and removing students)...

Unfortunately, this is not an option. The first teacher into a Meet, or the Teacher whose Google Classroom the Meet link is from will default to the host and be the only participant able to mute and remove attendees. They will also be the one to control whether the chat is active and whether attendees can present.

I'm ready for the new Google Meet Advanced Features, what do I do?