Google Meet Automation: The Chrome Extension That Streamlines Your Virtual Meetings

In the fast-paced business environment, time and speed are everything. Every second is important when it comes to meeting deadlines and overall productivity. The same is true for virtual collaboration; when you have multiple meetings to take care of, you no longer have time to do routine tasks like entering names, giving permissions, etc. However, if you have a Google Meet call, you might know that you have to perform a few repetitive actions like entering names, setting up camera settings, and configuring permissions. This happens every time we want to join a virtual meeting, but with the Google Meet Automation Extension, you can automate these tasks and save valuable time.

However, these tasks look small and require only a few seconds. These few unproductive seconds pile up, eating up a large chunk of your daily minutes. This is especially true for professionals and business owners who need to attend several digital meetings in a single day. This is where our development team comes in. We have created a new Google Chrome extension called “ Google Meet Automation”. It is a game-changing extension that elegantly automates the process of clicking on the “Join Now” button in every Google Meet session.

This not only saves countless minutes in your daily workflow but also reduces tedious pre-meeting configuration processes, boosting overall productivity. It saves a lot of time for professionals who need to jump from one meeting to another.

What is a Chrome Extension?

Chrome extensions are nothing but software extensions that personalize and improve your overall experience of using Google Chrome. They operate as valuable add-ons that directly integrate with your Google Chrome browser. It serves diverse functionality ranging from adding a new set of features to improving the existing functionality of the web page. Essentially, extensions are developed via robust web technologies such as JavaScript, HTML, and CSS, making them powerful and lightweight tools that operate in the background, increasing your overall browser experience.

To get any Chrome extension, you just need to go to Chrome Web Store, which is the official marketplace of Google Chrome containing all the add-ons for the browser. Once they are installed, they essentially become visible as small icons. Users can find them in the upper-right corner of the browser screen, enabling them access to their functionality. The magic of these extensions comes from the fact that they solve particular problems without needing specific modifications and complex software installations.

What is Google Meet?

Google Meet is an enterprise-level video conferencing platform offered by Google for smooth virtual meetings. Initially, it was launched as a subapplication of Google’s suite of productivity tools called Google Workspace (formerly G Suite). Now, it has emerged as one of the most predominant global videoconferencing platforms. Its popularity has grown massively in the last few years, especially since the COVID-19 pandemic. To access the application, all users need is a Google account.

Google Meet provides strong features that ensure high accessibility and productivity for users:

Top-quality video conferencing that can incorporate up to 250 participants.
Capabilities for real-time screen-sharing that enhance demonstrations and presentations.
Captioning in real-time is enabled by Google’s robust technology for speech recognition.
Seamless integration with Google Calendar for easy and proper scheduling of meetings.
Functionality across various platforms, including mobile devices and desktops.

As a large number of businesses are opting for hybrid or remote working models, virtual meetings continue to be increasingly important. Google Meet is a popular application that will gain more significance in connecting all businesses, organizations, educational institutions, departments, etc. Since it is free of cost, it can be leveraged by both small businesses and large enterprises.

Why Does Google Meet Ask You to Click on "Join Now"?

The pre-meeting settings panel and “Join Now” button help Google meet privacy and integrity requirements. This not only ensures the user’s consent while joining the meeting but also prevents potential disruptions and unauthorized access. By necessitating user confirmation before the meeting, Google Meet ascertains:

Privacy of Meeting: The process of joining allows hosts to take a look at the participants before they begin the call, avoiding the incidents of “meeting bombing” where unauthorized users disrupt various sessions.
Preparation time for Users Before the Meeting: The pre-meeting screen setting panel gives users some time to check all the essentials: microphone, camera, and background before they show themselves to the other participants.
Consent: When users press "Join Now," they actively provide consent to the terms and conditions of the meetings, which also includes possible recording features.
Preventing Accidental Joinings: Pre-meeting screen also gives users one one-last look at the agenda of the meeting, giving them time to see that they are joining the right meeting.

There is no doubt that these reasons are critical for meeting the security and integrity criteria of Google. However, it cannot be denied that these pre-meeting settings can become repetitive especially if your daily routine revolves around attending 5-6 meetings. It can be a tedious and time-consuming process for professionals attending multiple meetings in a single workday.

Features of Google Meet Automation

Introducing a Google extension called Auto-Join Google Meet. Applicable for Google Meet, it streamlines your online meeting experience by reducing unnecessary time-consuming pre-meeting configurations. The following sections expound in detail why this extension is a critical productivity tool:

Automated "Join now" Button Click

The core feature of this extension is both simple and powerful: it enables you to automatically click on the "Join now" button whenever you open a meeting link. Essentially, this extension:

Figure out when you have entered the Google Meet URL.
Before automating, it waits for the Google Meet webpage to fully load, ensuring all the necessary timing delays.
Recognizes the "Join now" present wherever on the screen.
Presses it automatically to help you join the meeting without any manual configurations.
Alerts users in case the button is not present on the page.

Though its working is very simple, it saves you crucial seconds every time you enter a meeting. As a professional, if you are attending numerous meetings, these seconds keep on adding up, saving you a lot of productive time during the workday.

Smart Waiting Feature

The extension includes intentional timing delays to make the joining process reliable and smooth.

1-second delay at the start to enable the page to fully load.
There is another 3-second delay to make sure that the “Join Now” button is clearly visible before proceeding to click on it.
These two-layer timing delays are essential to ensure compatibility of extension across computer configurations and distinct network speeds.

Error Handling and Debugging

To maintain the overall experience of the users, the extension also includes the following mechanisms:

Logging in the console to confirm the successful operation.
Relevant alert notifications in a situation if the "Join now" button is not found on the page.
This enables users to understand if there is a problem with the operation of the extension.

Focus on Privacy

This Google extension ensures great focus on the aspects of security and privacy:

Only when you enable the Google extension on the top right corner, it operates. Even then, it fully operates only within your individual browser environment.
No data recorded in the meetings is sent to external servers or third parties.
You do not need to give any additional permissions beyond what is required for the extension’s functionality.
It only works on the specific URLs of Google Meet.

How the Google Meet Automation Extension Works: Technical Deep Dive

How the Auto-Join Google Meet Extension Works

Let's get an overview of the codes that work in the background as you automate your Google Meeting joining process-

Event Listener for All Tab Updates

The extension starts off with an event listener that tracks all tab activity happening in your web browser-

chrome.tabs.onUpdated.addListener((tabId, changeInfo, tab) => {
    if (changeInfo.status === "complete" && tab.url.includes("meet.google.com")) {
        chrome.scripting.executeScript({
            target: { tabId: tabId },
            function: autoJoinMeet
        });
    }
});

Here is the breakdown:

The code keeps track of all tab update events occurring in Chrome.
There is a callback function that takes in three parameters as input including ChangInfo, tab, and tabId.
The If condition assesses whether the webpage has completely loaded (changeInfo.status === "complete")
The If condition also verifies whether the user is entering the URL genuinely containing the domain: "meet.google.com."
If all the conditions are satisfied, the function autoJoinMeet is implemented in that particular tab.

The Auto-Join Function

The core functionality of the extension lies in the autoJoinMeet function:

function autoJoinMeet() {
    setTimeout(() => {
        setTimeout(() => {
            // Select the button that contains "Join now"
            let joinButton = [...document.querySelectorAll("button")].find(btn => 
                btn.innerText.includes("Join now")
            );

            if (joinButton) {
                joinButton.click();
                console.log("Clicked Join Now button.");
            } else {
                alert("Join Now button not found!");
            }
        }, 3000);
    }, 1000);
}

Here is the breakdown:

The code contains nested setTimeout calls to ensure required intentional delays (a 1-second delay is succeeded by a 3-second delay).
It finds out all the button elements on the page via- document.querySelectorAll("button").
It then converts the given NodeList to an array and leverages the method called find() method to find the option containing the text "Join Now".
It then clicks on the option if it is found and registers the success at the console.
If the button is not found, then an alert notification is issued to the user.

Who Are the Beneficiaries of the Google Meet Automation Extension?

This extension is a productive tool, especially for the following users:

All the professionals in corporate because they attend multiple meetings throughout their workday.
Educators handling numerous online classrooms and one-on-one virtual sessions.
Healthcare professionals because they handle telehealth appointments on pack schedules.
Customer service teams managing multiple client calls through Google Meet.
Remote teams who depend on online meetings to collaborate and discuss ideas.

Configuring the Extension

To utilize this extension:

1. Create a manifest file (manifest.json) that determines the permissions and metadata of the extensions:

{
  "name": "Auto-Join Google Meet",
  "version": "1.0",
  "description": "Automatically joins Google Meet calls",
  "permissions": ["tabs", "scripting"],
  "host_permissions": ["*://meet.google.com/*"],
  "background": {
    "service_worker": "background.js"
  },
  "manifest_version": 3
}

2. Generate a background.js file comprising all the lines of code we have assessed above.

3. Then, you need to load this extension in Chrome:

After that, you need to open Chrome and go to chrome://extensions/
Then, enable the "Developer mode"
Then, select the option "Load unpacked" and choose your extension folder.
Check whether the extension is properly installed.
Test it with a Google Meet link to ensure that it is working properly.

Conclusion

The Auto-Join Google Meet extension improves your Google Meet experience. It demonstrates how minor automation can extensively improve productivity and overall meeting experience. By removing repetitive actions of configuring pre-meeting settings and automating clicking of the “Join Now” option, the extension proves to be valuable for simplifying your online meeting workflow. It helps you save a great deal of time throughout your workday.

When you see the code, it looks extraordinarily simple, just a few lines of JavaScript programs. However, its overall impact on your daily productivity can be tremendous. This is especially true for professionals who participate in Google Meet sessions on a daily basis. In a way, the extensions strike a fine balance between utility and simplicity, solving a core problem delicately without overcomplicating the existing situation.

Complete the installation of the Automation extension today and turn your Google Meet virtual meetings into a more smooth and efficient process.