Meet Now can now be easily launched from the system tray

Sep 24, 2020 14:51 GMT  ·  By

We live at a time when working from home has become the only way to go for so many of us, and as a result, applications that allow us to stay in touch with colleagues and family are more and more popular.

Skype is one of the products that benefitted from this change of trends in the last six months or so, and Microsoft itself has tried to make everything more straightforward for all users.

Earlier this year, the Redmond-based software giant announced Meet Now, a new feature that comes bundled with Skype and which makes it possible to connect to someone online without the need for an account or anything else.

And now Microsoft is bringing this feature right to the Windows 10 taskbar, which means that you can begin a conversation in a matter of clicks.

“Earlier this year we introduced Meet Now in Skype. Meet Now makes it easy to connect with anyone in as little as two clicks for free and each call can last up to 24 hours. Today, we’re excited to share that we are extending this capability in Windows 10 by bringing Meet Now right to the taskbar. You can now easily set up a video call and reach friends and family in an instant by clicking on the Meet Now icon in the notification area (system tray) of the taskbar in Windows 10. No sign ups or downloads needed,” Microsoft said.

The new feature is currently available for a limited set of insiders as part of Windows 10 build 20221.

Beginning with this update, the Meet Now icon is placed in the system tray, so all you need to do to begin a new call is to just click it and then select the option that reads “Create a meeting.” On the other hand, if you want to join a meeting, there’s a dedicated option for this one too. You only need the meeting link or the code and that’s pretty much everything, as no signups are required.

Meet Now allows conversations of a maximum of 24 hours, and Microsoft explains that the recordings that are created by the user are stored for a maximum of 30 days.

“The Meet Now link is accessible anytime you need it. We will hold your call recordings for up to 30 days and media shared in the chat even longer. Meet Now in Skype is perfect for your conference calls, webinars or work interviews,” the company explains.

Meet Now can also be used without a microphone or camera, as you can just join a meeting to listen to the other people talking. This makes it just the right app for quick meetings with a limited number of speakers.

“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 says.

The Redmond-based software giant hasn’t shared any information as to when it plans to bring this new feature to production devices, but this shouldn’t take too long though. The feature is currently in the testing phase as part of the Dev channel in the Windows Insider program.