There's an easy way to add Zoom's best feature to Google Meet — here's how to do it

• A Google Chrome extension makes it easier to see multiple speakers at once using Google Meet.
• The extension adds a button next to the search bar in the Google Chrome web browser that lets you turn on grid view, much like Zoom's gallery view.
• Google also recently announced that it's adding the ability to see up to 16 people on screen at once during a Google Meet call.
• Both Zoom and Google Meets have become increasingly popular over the month of March as the coronavirus has forced people to communicate virtually.
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Zoom has become the video conferencing app of choice as the coronavirus pandemic has forced people to communicate virtually — thanks in part to its ease of use, fun backgrounds, and convenient gallery view.

Now, there's a way to more easily replicate that last feature in Google Meet, the search giant's enterprise video communication service.

Google recently said it would soon be possible to see up to 16 speakers in a grid view simultaneously in a Google Meet video call through a feature called Tiled view.

There's also a Chrome extension called Google Meet Grid View makes it possible to view multiple participants in a Google Meet call at once in a grid format, just like on Zoom. Ryan Meyers, director of technology at St. George's Episcopal School in New Orleans, created the extension to make it easier to use Google Meet as a virtual classroom, according to WWL-TV.

Google Meet's Tiled view is somewhat limited compared with Zoom, which lets you see 49 participants so long as your computer meets the required specifications.

It's unclear whether the Google Meet Grid View extension has a limit on how many people can be displayed on screen at once. But since it was originally designed for use in classrooms, it may serve as a more compelling alternative to Google's Tiled view for those using video conferencing for large meetings.

These changes and the Chrome extension are only available for Google Meet, Google's enterprise video conferencing software, which is separate from the free Google Hangouts service for consumers.

If you're interested in trying the extension, here's how to use it.

If you'd rather just use Google's existing Tiled view, click the three dots in the lower right corner of the screen and choose "Change layout."

Lisa Eadicicco/Business Insider

The new extension and Google's updated Tiled view come as both Google and Zoom have seen upticks in usage throughout March as businesses across the United States moved to remote work arrangements.

Zoom said it reached more than 200 million daily meeting participants in March, far surpassing the previous record it held as of December 2019 of 10 million. Google also said Google Meet's day-over-day growth surpassed 60% in March, an increase 25 times greater than usage in January.

Click that icon while in a Google Meet video call to turn on grid view. Here's what my call looked like while using the extension.

Lisa Eadicicco/Business Insider

After clicking the button, you'll see a message confirming that the extension has been added to Chrome.

Lisa Eadicicco/Business Insider

The alert also instructs you to click the icon that looks like a grid in the top right corner of your screen next to the search bar whenever you want to use the feature.

First, open Google Chrome on your laptop and install the extension.

stgnola.org via the Chrome Web Store

Go to this page and click the "Add to Chrome" button, as shown above.