Tremendously efficient, the open source, registration-free video calling service is packed with features. Here are the ones to know to take full advantage of Jitsi Meet.
The implementation of containment to limit the spread of Covid-19 will have at least shown one thing: very many jobs can be managed by teleworking.
But to better manage the usual interactions that one can have in the office, employees have had to turn to video meeting solutions. They are numerous and have all seen their number of downloads explode during confinement.
Among these, Jitsi Meet stands out for its ease of use, its free access, and its many features that make it a tool of choice for making video calls.
To read: How to make your video calls with Jitsi Meet?
The tool is open source, it works without registration, and can be used from a web browser on desktop, or an Android or iOS mobile application. Here’s everything you need to know about Jitsi Meet to use it like a pro.
- Use Jitsi Meet from your browser (Free)
- Download Jitsi Meet for Android (Free)
- Download Jitsi Meet for iPhone / iPad (Free)
1. Switch the interface to French
Natively, Jitsi Meet is available in English the first time you use it. If you are not comfortable with the language of Shakespeare, you can switch the interface to French in a few clicks.
To do this, from your meeting window, click on the More actions button represented by three small dots at the bottom right and go to the Settings menu.
Then go to the More tab, then in the Language drop-down menu choose French and validate by clicking on OK. All service menus should now appear in French.
2. Enter your name
To allow your interlocutors to identify you more easily, it is preferable to personalize your session by adding your name.
To do this, hover over your camera thumbnail at the top right of the window, activate the cursor by clicking on “me” and enter your name.
You can also change this setting by clicking on the More Actions button, then in Settings, going to the Profile tab.
3. Choose the video quality
If you are not lucky enough to have fiber and your Internet connection is anemic, it is possible to configure the quality of your video stream so that the service is more fluid.
Click on the three small dots at the bottom right and go to the Adjust video quality menu.
You can then reduce the quality of the video stream according to your bandwidth. Be careful, however, in low bandwidth mode, the video stream is disabled.
4. Start a stream on YouTube
Jitsi Meet has many advantages. In addition to being free, open source, and without registration, the service incorporates features often absent from paid competition.
If, for example, you have decided to do a live with several people and you would like to broadcast it live on a video streaming platform, Jitsi Meet will allow you to do it in a few clicks. The service includes an option allowing everyone to broadcast a YouTube meeting live.
To do this, click on More Actions at the bottom right of the screen, then on Start Live Streaming.
You will then be prompted to sign in with your Google account or directly enter your live stream key from YouTube to start live streaming on the platform.
5. Record your meeting
If it is possible to stream your meeting live on YouTube, you can also record a copy of it. Click More Actions, then click Start Recording.
To start the video recording of your meeting, you will need to connect your Dropbox account to which Jitsi Meet will automatically export the generated video file.
6. Embed a YouTube video in the meeting
Sharing content during a video conference call is not always easy. Still, Jitsi Meet offers several options to make it easier. For example, it is possible to embed a YouTube video directly into a video call so that the other participants can all watch it at the same time.
All you need to do is click on More Actions and then on Share YouTube Video.
You will then be prompted to enter the URL of the video to Share.
The video should then automatically open in full screen in the call window. The video will only be able to be played in this display, the use of the mosaic display having the effect of displaying only the image in front of the video.
To delete the video from the call, you will have to click on More actions again, in order to stop the YouTube video.
7. Use keyboard shortcuts
Just because Jitsi Meet is launched from a web browser does not mean that it cannot be used as easily as a dedicated application, using keyboard shortcuts.
The service has nearly fifteen of them that you can discover by clicking on More actions, then on Show shortcuts or by using Shift +?.
If you make your call with the microphone muted to avoid polluting the conversation with ambient noise, pressing the Space bar will allow you to temporarily activate your PC’s microphone to speak, like a talkie- walkie.
8. Share your screen
Like any self-respecting videoconferencing tool, Jitsi Meet offers the possibility of sharing the display of its screen in the call.
To do this, bring up the tool’s control keys, then click on the icon appearing on a screen at the bottom left.
You can then choose to share Your full screen, an Application window only, or a Tab of the web browser in which Jitsi Meet is open.
9. Use the chat
Jitsi Meet isn’t just about video calling. The service includes an instant messaging solution accessible by all participants during a video meeting, hence the importance of personalizing your profile when starting a call (see step 2).
You can access the Chat by clicking on the button with a chat bubble at the bottom left of the control keys.
The messaging window should then open transparently over the call window. All participants, even from the mobile application, will be able to access it and send text messages.
10. Add a password and offer to join the meeting by phone.
When you create a meeting room with Jitsi, you simply choose a name that will be added to the end of the meet.jitsi.si/ base URL.
To avoid seeing an intruder disembark who randomly typed the word or phrase chosen to identify your meeting, you can protect it by adding a password. To do this, click on the i button displayed at the bottom right of Jitsi’s control keys.
The window that appears displays all the information you need to join your meeting. Click Add Password to protect access to your video meeting. Once in place, participants must enter it to join the call.
And if, however, some participants do not have the possibility of joining you using a computer or the mobile application on their smartphone (lack of Internet connection for example), they will still be able to follow the meeting by joining it by phone.
In the information window opened previously to set a password, click on More numbers. Jitsi Meet should then display a window grouping all the phone numbers, by country, as well as the PIN code to use to join the meeting in place from a traditional phone call.
All you need to do is share this information with the people you want to invite to join the meeting with a simple phone call.
At the end of the line, a voice mailbox will answer the interlocutors and ask them to enter the PIN code allowing access to the meeting and to validate by pressing the # key. The participant’s window will then appear in the Jitsi Meet discussion, and will directly display their phone number.