How to get rid of that irritating Meet tab in Gmail for Android and iOS
I have nothing against Google’s Meet videoconferencing platform — I’ve even used it a couple of times with relatives — but I can’t help being annoyed when the feature is pushed at me via other apps. Specifically, Gmail. Meet first appeared on the desktop Gmail app last spring, but it did not take up much space and was reasonably easy to ignore (or remove from your screen, if you so wished).
Now, however, Meet is making its way onto the mobile Gmail app via two tabs which will eventually appear (if they haven’t already) at the bottom of your screen: one labeled “Mail” and one labeled “Meet.” The problem here isn’t only that you’re being pushed to use a particular videoconferencing app while all you want to do is check your email, but it also takes up space, expanding the bottom margin of the app and giving you approximately three fewer lines to work with.
If you plan to use Meet regularly, you may not mind. But if you don’t and you want to get rid of the excess tabs, here’s how you do it. These instructions apply to the Gmail app on both Android and iOS.
- Select the three-line “hamburger” icon in the upper left corner, scroll down, and tap on “Settings.”
- Select the Gmail account you want to change.
- Scroll down to the “Meet” category and uncheck “Show the Meet tab for video calling.”
And that’s it! You’ve reclaimed some space on your Gmail app and can now use Zoom or whatever videoconferencing app you prefer without having to be constantly reminded of Meet.
I have nothing against Google’s Meet videoconferencing platform — I’ve even used it a couple of times with relatives — but I can’t help being annoyed when the feature is pushed at me via other apps. Specifically, Gmail. Meet first appeared on the desktop Gmail app last spring, but it…
