In these times that we have had to live with the presence of COVID-19 among us, we have been able to notice since last year how teleworking has increased and has revealed the use of different tools with which to make video calls. These applications are not only intended for the workplace, but they have also helped us to keep in touch with our family and friends. Among these tools, Skype stands out, which has incorporated a new function, called Meet Now.
Skype, a benchmark in making video calls
As many users will know, Skype is a software that allows millions of people and companies around the world to communicate through completely free calls and video calls , both individual and group. It also allows you to send instant messages and share files with other people who use the application. It stands out for the possibility of working with voice signals via IP protocol, as well as incorporating a wide variety of functionalities.
Skype has a wide variety of compatible devices, since it can be used without problems in almost all operating systems: Windows, Mac OS X, GNU / Linux distributions, as well as mobile operating systems such as Android and iOS.
New Meet Now feature
Meet Now is a new tool that came to Skype last year and is responsible for making video calls easier. In this way we can create and share a meeting for free in just a few steps and with the main advantage that we do not need to have Skype installed on our computer or that of the call recipients. Thus, the Microsoft-owned company manages to open the market to people who do not use the application or who abandoned it at any time. This allows them to know how the most recent versions work.
The Skype Meet Now function allows us to record any calls we make and review them later, since these are stored for a maximum of 30 days. We will also have the possibility to blur the background in case we do not want it to appear in our meeting, as well as the possibility of sharing the screen when necessary. In this way, it will be easy to share our presentations, work materials or designs during the call.
With Meet Now our experience when making free video calls is improved, since we can use it on any device , even if we do not have the Skype application installed, since it uses the Skype web client that is compatible with Google Chrome and Microsoft browsers Edge. In addition, the links that we create do not have an expiration date so we can create our invitation in advance. This makes it ideal for both online classes, business meetings or parties with family and friends.
Make a video call from “Meet Now” in Windows 10
Recently Microsoft has added a new icon on the taskbar called “Meet Now” in Windows 10. With this direct access it allows us to create a meeting or join another one in operation quickly.
By clicking on this “Meet Now” button on the taskbar, a window appears from where it offers us the possibility of making video calls without subscriptions or downloads . This way participants can easily join meetings with Skype, regardless of whether they have an account or not.
Create a link to share
Pressing “Meet Now” will open our Skype application in case we have it installed or web browser otherwise. From here we will have access to the link of the room that we can share with the people we want to be part of the meeting. Thus, we can “Post on Faceebok”, “Send by Messenger”, “Send by WhatsApp“, “Send by Telegram”, “Outlook Mail” and “Gmail”. Once we have shared the invitation link, click on the Start call button to begin.
Our contacts will join the created room
Once our contacts have received the invitation, they will check if they accept how the video call is opened in their Skype application, or if they do not have it installed, the web client will open, both in Chrome and in Edge. By clicking to join we can choose to log in with our Microsoft account or as a guest , in which case we must enter our name and it will direct us to the page with the rest of the members. It is important that we give Skype permission to “Use the microphone” and “Use your camera” by clicking on the “Allow” button. Likewise, at any time we can pay for the camera or the microphone by deactivating its corresponding button during the video call.
Functions that we find during the video call
Once we have started the video call with Meet Now, we will have the possibility to perform different functions on the screen , such as recording, opening chat, seeing the participants currently in the call, sharing the meeting link, mute or activate the microphone, activate or deactivate the video, end the call, share the screen, send a reaction to the call and see more options.
These functions can be found at the bottom of the screen and are fully accessible by all members of the meeting. To highlight the button “Raise your hand”, which will allow us to ask for the turn, something that will be useful when we are in a meeting of several people and we want to ask for our turn to speak . The “React” button allows us to send interactions such as a heart, a crying face with laughter, a surprised face, a sarcastic face, a crying face and a thumbs up.
How to make video calls with Meet Now from the browser
Making video calls with Meet Now is quite simple and for this it is enough to access the website at this link . Once we have accessed we must create a link and share it with the people we want to join the call. For this, it is not necessary to register or have Skype installed, as we access the video call through our browser. We can invite up to a maximum of 99 people (not counting ourselves) to enjoy free video calls through Skype. Also, our personal invite link does not expire and can be used at any time.
Once we have accessed the web page, we look at the box on the right where it says “Generate a unique link with a single click”. Here we can give the meeting a new name or use the one that comes by default. Finally, we will click on the “Create a new meeting” button.
Next, the meeting will be loaded and once its creation is finished, it will appear in the box “The meeting is ready”. Just below we will have at our disposal a link that we can copy and share with all the people we want to invite to the video call. We can also click on the “Share invitation” button, which offers us different shortcuts with which to share the created link. Finally, we have to click on the “Start call” button to enter our room and wait for the rest of the participants to join.
