Google Meet has blurred the lines between in-person communication and the world of video conferencing we’re so familiar with by introducing a hand-raising gesture that the web app can actually recognize.
Now Meet participants can physically raise their hand to activate a virtual hand show, making it easier for them to be noticed by the speaker.
Of course, it wouldn’t be 2023 without adding that the feature is indeed powered by artificial intelligence.
Google Meet hand up gesture
Company confirmed that the setting is disabled by default and must be enabled via More options > Comments > Raise hand gesture.
Participants who need attention can then raise their hand, which activates a circular progress bar. Pausing to complete the bar will trigger a virtual Google Meet hand raise.
Google notes that your hand should be away from your face and body so that it can be clearly detected by the camera. It may seem obvious, but your camera should also be turned on.
Moderators can view raised hands by going to People > Raised Hands, where they can choose to answer questions and virtually lower their hands to monitor participant feedback.
However, there’s a catch: you have to work or learn to use the new AI functionality. It only applies to the following accounts: Google Workspace Business Plus/Standard, Enterprise Essentials/Plus/Standard/Starter, Education Plus, Teaching and Learning Upgrade, and Google Workspace Individual.
As always, personal account holders don’t get access to the latest and greatest tools, while the company instead focuses on its paying customers.
Google isn’t the first company to use physical gestures to elicit responses. Apple has added similar capabilities to FaceTime, while business users can do the same in Zoom.