I Just Tried Windows 10’s Meet Now Feature and I’m Sold

Everybody agrees 2020 has been a totally crazy year, and one thing that many of us had to do in the last months was to move our office at home and try to work remotely for as much as possible.

This makes sense given the global health issue, but many of us were caught unprepared for the whole thing, especially because we didn’t have the software arsenal in place to deal with such a transition.

One of the essential things we had to do when working remotely was staying in touch with colleagues, and this is why the adoption of products like Microsoft Teams and Zoom simply skyrocketed this year.

Microsoft, however, tried to make video calls as convenient as possible on several fronts, not just when it comes to Microsoft Teams. And one way the company managed to do this was Meet Now, a new feature integrated into Windows 10 and which makes it possible to set up a video call with someone over the Internet in a matter of seconds.

“Meet Now in Skype allows you to easily set up a collaboration space and invite both Skype contacts and friends or family who are not on Skype. Participants can then easily join meetings whether they have an account or not,” Microsoft explains.

“Starting your meeting is as easy as signing in to Skype and selecting the Meet Now universal Meet Now button. You'll get a call link and a Share invite button to easily to invite others. Once you're ready, set your call to audio or video and select the Start call button. You can also create a meeting directly from the web.”

While some believe the Meet Now icon is spyware, this is a feature bundled with Windows 10, and one of the biggest benefits is that it allows to set up a video call without the need for an account.

After so many meetings on Microsoft Teams, I got the chance to try out Meet Now, and to be honest, I’m impressed about how straightforward everything really is. There’s nothing your contact has to do, other than click on a link allowing them to join the meeting. So technically, it’s all just a matter of seconds before you’re able to talk to someone over the Internet, all without installing any application for the whole thing.

The quality of the video is something that shouldn’t disappoint you, as it’s powered by Skype, and the experience overall is as smooth as it gets. And the good news is that your contact can join the meeting regardless of the platform they use, as it’s not limited to just Windows.

“You can use our unique Meet Now link to join a call in Skype by clicking the Meet Now button, then Join a Meeting. The Meet Now link will also open your installed Skype app on any device. Even if you're not signed in, you can join the call or chat as a guest. If you don't have Skype installed on your computer, we will open Skype for you on the web. Our supported browsers for Meet Now are Microsoft Edge, the latest version of Chrome and Safari. You can install Skype on your device as well,” Microsoft explains.

“If you can't or don't want to allow access to your microphone and camera, you can also join a call just to listen in (using Skype for Web only). Click the Meet Now link, then select Block or Don't allow if Skype asks for permission to use your camera and microphone. Then, click the Continue without audio or video button to join the call. Note that the other participants won't hear you or see your video, but you will appear in the participants list and be able to use chat.”

Microsoft is bundled with Windows 10 following the latest cumulative updates.