Google has announced a new security-focused update for Google Meet to give hosts greater control over bots attempting to join calls. The update changes how the platform manages join requests through the “knocking” feature, introducing new mechanisms that help separate trusted participants from those requiring closer inspection.
The feature aims to reduce that burden by automatically sorting participants into different queues based on perceived risk, instead of forcing hosts to review every request individually.
While the change may appear subtle, it reflects a broader effort by collaboration platforms to strengthen meeting security as automated participants and AI-powered tools become increasingly common.
Smarter Lobbies, Safer Meetings
At the center of the update is a new dual-queue system for managing people waiting in a meeting lobby. Instead of a single waiting list, hosts will now see two distinct queues that categorize join requests based on how trustworthy the system deems them.
The first queue contains participants that Google flags as potentially risky. These could include automated bots, suspicious connections, or users whose credentials or identities cannot be immediately verified. Requests in this queue are automatically denied unless the host intervenes. This approach reverses the traditional workflow, where hosts typically admit participants by default and only reject them if something appears suspicious.
The second queue is reserved for confirmed users. These are individuals already listed on the meeting invitation or belonging to the same organization as the host. Participants in this category can be admitted quickly, allowing legitimate attendees to join meetings without unnecessary delays.
Google has also retained bulk admission controls for situations where large numbers of people are waiting to join. Hosts can still click “View all” to see the full list of participants and choose to admit or deny everyone in a queue at once, helping them manage busy meetings efficiently.
The update has already begun rolling out to organizations using the Rapid Release track within Google Workspace. Those on the Scheduled Release track are expected to receive the feature starting in early April 2026.
Bots: The Bane of Meeting Security
The introduction of risk-based join queues reflects a broader shift across UC collaboration platforms, as the presence of bots in meetings becomes increasingly common.
Since the rise of generative AI tools, automated participants on calls have become nearly routine. Many meetings now include bots designed to record, transcribe, summarize, or analyze discussions. These tools often appear as another participant tile in the meeting grid, sometimes labeled as a notetaker or branded with a third-party service name.
For many workers, their presence has become so normalized that it rarely raises questions. The productivity benefits these tools offer—such as automatic meeting notes, searchable transcripts, and AI-generated summaries—have made them an accepted part of modern remote collaboration.
However, that normalization also introduces new risks. Because bots often look like legitimate participants, attackers can exploit that familiarity to gain access to meetings unnoticed. A malicious bot joining a call could quietly collect sensitive information, from internal strategy discussions to confidential client details.
Traditional security measures such as firewalls, endpoint protection systems, and email filtering tools are designed to guard against known attack vectors. Meetings, by contrast, represent a much softer access point.
Rather than breaking through technical defenses, attackers may attempt to enter through the front door of a meeting, disguised as a benign service or automated assistant.
Google is not the only company to recognize this growing threat. Earlier this month, Microsoft announced that Teams will receive a new security update to change how external bots are handled during meetings. The company confirmed that the platform will soon automatically identify and tag third-party bots attempting to join calls.
Making Meetings Secure
While the update focuses specifically on the meeting lobby experience, it highlights a wider shift in how collaboration platforms approach security.
As video conferencing tools have matured from simple communication utilities into central hubs for business operations, they have also become attractive targets for attackers. Sensitive conversations that once happened in private offices or secure conference rooms now take place on digital platforms accessible by hundreds or thousands of users. That shift is forcing vendors to rethink how identity, trust, and access are managed inside meetings.
Instead of treating all join requests equally, systems are beginning to apply contextual signals to determine which participants should be trusted automatically and which require further review.
Google’s queue-based approach reflects that philosophy. By separating confirmed participants from higher-risk requests, the platform allows hosts to focus their attention where it is most needed while keeping legitimate attendees moving smoothly into meetings.
For organizations increasingly dependent on video meetings, updates like this signal how collaboration platforms are evolving to meet the security challenges of a more automated digital workplace.
