Video communication tools have become more important than ever during the global COVID-19 pandemic. Zoom has exploded in popularity. Facebook, Google, and Microsoft have added new features to their video chat and video conferencing tools. And Google decided to add Google Meet shortcuts to the Gmail app for Android so you won’t forget that Google Meet is a thing.

The new Google Meet integration is rolling out to Android users now… whether you want it or not.

Unfortunately the shortcuts take up space at the bottom of the screen every time you open the Gmail app, whether you plan to use Google Meet or now. But the good news is that it’s very easy to disable Google Meet integration.

Here’s how to do it:

  1. Open the Gmail app for Android. If you see the Mail and Meet shortcuts at the bottom of the screen and want to make them disappear, proceed to step 2. If not, then the feature probably hasn’t arrived for your phone yet.
  2. Tap the three line “hamburger” menu at the top of the screen.
  3. Scroll down to the bottom until you see the Settings option, and tap on it.
  4. On the following screen, tap the email account you want to adjust the settings for.
  5. Scroll down until you see the option marked Meet.
  6. Uncheck the box that says “Show the Meet tab for video calling.”

That’s it. Gmail will reload, and the Google Meet button will be gone, giving you back a little precious screen real estate.

If you’d like to make the occasional Google Meet call you can just re-enable this option when you need it, or install the standalone Google Meet app from the Google Play Store.

 

 

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One reply on “Google Meet shortcuts added to Gmail app for Android (Here’s how to disable it)”

  1. Just noticed this today. Thanks for this post. Though with the aspect ratio of phones these days, there seems to be an abundance of vertical space when in portrait mode, so I didn’t really miss the space that much.

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