Zoom on a Google Meet device (left); Google Meet on Zoom Rooms (right).

Image: Google

Google has announced new two-way interoperability between Zoom and Meet for conference rooms, along with the first Meet-certified Android conference appliances, which expand Google's Meet-certified hardware beyond ChromeOS.

When interoperability arrives later this year, users of the companies' respective conference solutions -Zoom Rooms and Google Meet devices -will be able to communicate seamlessly: Zoom Rooms can join Google Meet meetings, and Google Meet devices can join Zoom Meetings. This can be done from a Zoom Room or a Google Meet device calendar, at the touch of a button. 

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The Zoom-Meet interoperability will initially only work from ChromeOS-based Meet devices, which has been the main platform on which Meet conference devices are built. This builds on existing interoperability between Cisco Webex devices and Google Meet devices. The interoperability is available at no extra cost.

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Google's move should benefit organizations that need to connect conference rooms to partners, customers and other groups internally who use different conference platforms. 

As noted, Meet-certified conference devices have until now been built on ChromeOS, but Google has today announced the first Android-based Meet-certified conference devices from Poly and Logitech. Both vendors' Android-based Meet equipment will be available in early 2023.      

"While Google Meet devices have historically been standardized on ChromeOS, open source Android-based devices have become increasingly popular as a video conferencing platform-independent solution," said Dave Citron, director of product at Google Workspace.  

Google notes that customers with existing Android-based conference devices from Poly and Logitech will be able to move easily to Meet from rival cloud conference platforms.

"Customers with existing Poly or Logitech Android-based devices will be able to leverage their investment and move to Meet by just adding a Meet license for these devices," Citron said in a blogpost.

Microsoft provides Teams Rooms on Windows-only devices like the Surface Hub, and Android conferencing devices. For example, Logitech's RoomMate is a$999 Android conference appliance that supports Zoom Rooms, RingCentral Rooms, and Teams Rooms, but not Google Meet. It also offers the Android-based Rally Bar and Rally Bar Mini for multiple conferencing platforms. 

Logitech will offer Android-based appliance versions of its Rally Bar and Rally Bar Mini for Google Meet in 2023. Google says Poly is expected to deliver its first Meet-certified Android-based appliances in early 2023. These will include its Studio X30 for small rooms, Studio X50 for medium rooms, and Studio X70 for large rooms.

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