Gmail’s Meet Tab is Arriving on Android, but You Can Turn It Off (Updated)

It has been two months since Google first told us that they’d add a Meet tab to Gmail on Android. This new tab would be the first step towards a Gmail future with all sorts of new tabs, including Chat. Google has this vision for Gmail’s future that includes a bunch of bloat from other apps, hoping that you can do it all within Gmail instead of managing all these separate experiences.

Yesterday, Google Meet starting making its debut in Gmail on Android.

If your account has been given access (only 1 of mine has), you’ll notice it because it’s impossible not to. At the bottom of the screen, you’ll now have a new bottom bar with both “Mail” and “Meet” tabs. Tapping on either jumps you from Gmail to Meet and back again.

The new Meet tab is there to help you quickly and easily join meetings, setup new ones, that sort of thing. Assuming you use Gmail for all of your work needs and have been forced into a life of video calls throughout a day, this could come in handy! If that isn’t your life, well, you can turn it off and probably should.

Turn of Google Meet in Gmail

Should you see that Meet tab, think it’s taking up way too much space, aren’t attached to a video call at any point outside of virtual happy hour, and want to turn it off, this is how you do just that.

1. Open Gmail
2. Open the side menu, scroll to the bottom, tap on Settings
3. Tap on the Gmail address/account that you want Meet gone from
4. Scroll down to a new “Meet” section
5. Look for the “Show the Meet tab for video calling”
6. Uncheck that box
7. Gmail should reload and Meet will be gone

We still don’t know when the shortcuts to Chat and Rooms will join Meet, but we should all pray that Google adds these same check boxes to turn them off too. I can’t imagine everyone will be thrilled at the integration.

• UPDATE August 11: I noticed that all of my accounts now have the Meet tab option, so I’m bumping this. It’ll be OK, everyone.