Additional BYOD peripheral switchers certified for Google Meet in ChromeOS touch controller rooms

We have certified additional Lightware peripheral switchers, so that you and your team can bring your own devices (BYOD) to Google Meet on ChromeOS touch controller rooms. The new devices bring improvements for video processing, networking, connectivity and security.

Plug your laptop into a Meet room with a single USB-C cable and easily use the room's display, speaker, microphone, and camera—along with your laptop—for video conferencing.

The integration is extended with the following peripheral switchers:

  • Lightware Taurus UCX 4x2 HC60
  • Lightware Taurus UCX 4x3 HC60
  • Lightware Taurus UCX 4x2 HC60D
  • Lightware Taurus UCX 4x3 HC60 BD

This offers the following benefits:

  • Seamless transition: Rooms will automatically enter BYOD mode as soon as a user connects their laptop via a certified cable, enabling immediate use of the room's display and high-quality audio and video equipment.
  • Meeting continuity: If a Google Meet call is already in progress, connecting a laptop will not interrupt the call or activate BYOD mode. The same cable for BYOD mode can be used during a Google Meet meeting for sharing your screen to the meeting, ensuring a unified meeting experience.
  • Enhanced admin control: Administrators will gain new visibility within the Google admin console, allowing them to see when BYOD mode is active in a room and preventing erroneous missing peripheral alerts when a third-party device is in control.

Getting started

  • Admins: Visit the Lightware website to learn more.
  • End users: Once the integration is installed, use a USB-C cable to use the room displays, audio devices, and camera.

Rollout pace

Availability

  • Available to all Google Workspace customers with Google Meet ChromeOS hardware devices

Resources

Additional BYOD peripheral switchers certified for Google Meet in ChromeOS touch controller rooms

We have certified additional Lightware peripheral switchers, so that you and your team can bring your own devices (BYOD) to Google Meet on ChromeOS touch controller rooms. The new devices bring improvements for video processing, networking, connectivity and security.

Plug your laptop into a Meet room with a single USB-C cable and easily use the room's display, speaker, microphone, and camera—along with your laptop—for video conferencing.

The integration is extended with the following peripheral switchers:

  • Lightware Taurus UCX 4x2 HC60
  • Lightware Taurus UCX 4x3 HC60
  • Lightware Taurus UCX 4x2 HC60D
  • Lightware Taurus UCX 4x3 HC60 BD

This offers the following benefits:

  • Seamless transition: Rooms will automatically enter BYOD mode as soon as a user connects their laptop via a certified cable, enabling immediate use of the room's display and high-quality audio and video equipment.
  • Meeting continuity: If a Google Meet call is already in progress, connecting a laptop will not interrupt the call or activate BYOD mode. The same cable for BYOD mode can be used during a Google Meet meeting for sharing your screen to the meeting, ensuring a unified meeting experience.
  • Enhanced admin control: Administrators will gain new visibility within the Google admin console, allowing them to see when BYOD mode is active in a room and preventing erroneous missing peripheral alerts when a third-party device is in control.

Getting started

  • Admins: Visit the Lightware website to learn more.
  • End users: Once the integration is installed, use a USB-C cable to use the room displays, audio devices, and camera.

Rollout pace

Availability

  • Available to all Google Workspace customers with Google Meet ChromeOS hardware devices

Resources

Prepare for the NEET UG with practice tests in Gemini

We recently launched full-length, no-cost practice tests in Gemini, starting with the SAT and JEE Main. Today, we’re expanding practice tests to support the NEET UG.

We have grounded practice tests in rigorously vetted content from leading education companies like Physics Wallah and Careers360, to build a best in class experience for learners coming to Gemini. This helps ensure that you’re not just practicing — you’re preparing with material that more closely resembles what you’ll see on test day.

To try it out, just tell Gemini “I want to take a NEET mock exam.”


Note: This feature is currently available in English only.

Getting started

  • Admins: The Gemini app and related in-app tools are controlled by the Generative AI settings in the Workspace Admin console. Practice tests in Gemini are subject to these existing controls. Visit the Help Center for more information on turning the Gemini app on or off.
  • End users: End users of all ages who have access to the Gemini app will receive access to practice tests automatically. To get started, tell Gemini which practice test you want to take.

Rollout pace

Availability

  • Available to all Google Workspace customers, Workspace Individual subscribers, and users with personal Google accounts who are signed in to the Gemini app

Resources

Prepare for the NEET UG with practice tests in Gemini

We recently launched full-length, no-cost practice tests in Gemini, starting with the SAT and JEE Main. Today, we’re expanding practice tests to support the NEET UG.

We have grounded practice tests in rigorously vetted content from leading education companies like Physics Wallah and Careers360, to build a best in class experience for learners coming to Gemini. This helps ensure that you’re not just practicing — you’re preparing with material that more closely resembles what you’ll see on test day.

To try it out, just tell Gemini “I want to take a NEET mock exam.”


Note: This feature is currently available in English only.

Getting started

  • Admins: The Gemini app and related in-app tools are controlled by the Generative AI settings in the Workspace Admin console. Practice tests in Gemini are subject to these existing controls. Visit the Help Center for more information on turning the Gemini app on or off.
  • End users: End users of all ages who have access to the Gemini app will receive access to practice tests automatically. To get started, tell Gemini which practice test you want to take.

Rollout pace

Availability

  • Available to all Google Workspace customers, Workspace Individual subscribers, and users with personal Google accounts who are signed in to the Gemini app

Resources

Expanded NotebookLM capabilities for Education Plus and Teaching & Learning add-on customers

We’re increasing limits across NotebookLM features for customers with Google Workspace for Education Plus or a Teaching and Learning add-on license at no additional cost. Users will now see a Plus badge next to their profile picture, indicating access to higher usage thresholds.
Users with Google Workspace for Education Plus or a Teaching and Learning add-on license will benefit from several upgrades, including:

  • Increased source context: Support for more sources in each notebook.
  • More engagement: Send more chat queries per day.
  • Expanded study tools: Create more flashcard sets and quizzes.
  • More multimedia generation: Create more Video Overviews, Audio Overviews, infographics and slide decks.
Visit the Help Center to see a full list of NotebookLM features and limits.

Note: Certain NotebookLM features are only available to 18+ users. Visit the Help Center to learn more. 

Getting started

  • Admins: NotebookLM is ON by default and can be disabled at the domain, OU, or group level. Visit the Help Center to learn more.
  • End users: There is no end user setting for this feature. Visit the Help Center to learn more.

Rollout pace

Availability

  • Education: Education Plus; Teaching and Learning add-on

Resources

Expanded NotebookLM capabilities for Education Plus and Teaching & Learning add-on customers

We’re increasing limits across NotebookLM features for customers with Google Workspace for Education Plus or a Teaching and Learning add-on license at no additional cost. Users will now see a Plus badge next to their profile picture, indicating access to higher usage thresholds.
Users with Google Workspace for Education Plus or a Teaching and Learning add-on license will benefit from several upgrades, including:

  • Increased source context: Support for more sources in each notebook.
  • More engagement: Send more chat queries per day.
  • Expanded study tools: Create more flashcard sets and quizzes.
  • More multimedia generation: Create more Video Overviews, Audio Overviews, infographics and slide decks.
Visit the Help Center to see a full list of NotebookLM features and limits.

Note: Certain NotebookLM features are only available to 18+ users. Visit the Help Center to learn more. 

Getting started

  • Admins: NotebookLM is ON by default and can be disabled at the domain, OU, or group level. Visit the Help Center to learn more.
  • End users: There is no end user setting for this feature. Visit the Help Center to learn more.

Rollout pace

Availability

  • Education: Education Plus; Teaching and Learning add-on

Resources

Test Multi-Device Interactions with the Android Emulator

Posted by Steven Jenkins, Product Manager, Android Studio










Testing multi-device interactions is now easier than ever with the Android Emulator. Whether you are building a multiplayer game, extending your mobile application across form factors, or launching virtual devices that require a device connection, the Android Emulator now natively supports these developer experiences.

Previously, interconnecting multiple Android Virtual Devices (AVDs) caused significant friction. It required manually managing complex port forwarding rules just to get two emulators to connect.

Now you can take advantage of a new networking stack for the Android Emulator which brings zero-configuration peer-to-peer connectivity across all your AVDs.

Interconnecting emulator instances

The new networking stack for the Android Emulator transforms how emulators communicate. Previously, each virtual device operated on its own local area network (LAN), effectively isolating it from other AVDs. The new Wi-Fi network stack changes this by creating a shared virtual network backplane that bridges all running instances on the same host machine.

Key Benefits:

  • Zero-configuration: No more manual port forwarding or scripting adb commands. AVDs on the same host appear on the same virtual network.
  • Peer-to-peer connectivity: Critical protocols like Wi-Fi Direct and Network Service Discovery (NSD) work out of the box between emulators.
  • Improved stability: Resolves long-standing stability issues, such as data loss and connection drops found in the legacy stack.
  • Cross-platform consistency: Works the same across Windows, macOS and Linux.

Use Cases

The enhanced emulator networking supports a wide range of multi-device development scenarios:

  • Multi-device apps: Test file sharing, local multiplayer gaming, or control flows between a phone and another Android device.
  • Continuous Integration: Create robust, automated multi-device test pipelines without flaky network scripts.
  • Android XR & AI glasses: Easily test companion app pairing and data streaming between a phone and glasses within Android Studio.
  • Automotive & Wear OS: Validate connectivity flows between a mobile device and a vehicle head unit or smartwatch.



The new emulator networking stack allows multiple AVDs to share a virtual network, 
enabling direct peer-to-peer communication with zero configuration.

Get Started

The new networking capability is enabled by default in the latest Android Emulator release (36.5), which is available via the Android Studio SDK Manager. Just update your emulator and launch multiple devices!

If you need to disable this feature or want to learn more, please refer to our documentation.

As always, we appreciate any feedback. If you find a bug or issue, please file an issue. Also you can be part of our vibrant Android developer community on LinkedIn, Medium, Youtube, or X.