Google Meet Comes to Apple CarPlay, Can Join Meetings While Driving, But Without Video

Google has officially brought the Google Meet service to Apple CarPlay, opening up a new option for users to stay connected while driving. However, for safety reasons, this feature comes with a number of significant limitations.

In its announcement, Google said this integration allows users to join meetings hands-free directly from the car screen. The process is made simple - just one tap to enter the scheduled meeting.

While it sounds practical, there's a big "brake" here: all calls are audio-only. Video is automatically turned off, and users can't see other participants or presentations on the car screen. So, this is more like a "mobile version of a conference call" than a full meeting.

The available controls are also very limited. Users can only mute, unmute, and exit the meeting. Interactive features such as raise hand, Q&A, and polling are not available on CarPlay. In fact, in large meetings, the microphone can be automatically muted when you first join.

On the CarPlay dashboard, users will see a list of upcoming meetings and can immediately choose to join. However, this feature only applies to scheduled meetings - you can't create a new meeting from the car. If the user is the host, they also can't manage participants, such as accepting or rejecting an entry request.

Google menegaskan bahwa pembatasan ini dibuat untuk menjaga fokus pengemudi tetap pada jalan. Jika pengguna membutuhkan fitur lengkap seperti video atau interaksi lanjutan, mereka disarankan untuk berhenti dan menggunakan aplikasi Meet langsung dari ponsel.

To use this feature, users need to update the Google Meet app on the App Store and grant the necessary permissions. The launch is being carried out gradually and is expected to be widely available within two weeks, both for individual users and Workspace customers. Meanwhile, support for Android Auto is said to be coming soon.