Read provides an extension for Google Chrome, which also works on other Chromium-based browsers like Microsoft Edge. Installing the Chrome extension is as easy as going to the listing in the Chrome web store and clicking "Add to Chrome".
The extension integrates Read into Google Calendar and Google Meet, which offers a variety of features to improve the Read experience for Google users. For example:
- If you join a Google Meet that doesn't currently have Read on the call, you'll see a pop up asking if you want to add Read to the call manually
- You can get notified when your Read Assistant is currently in a meeting, and open the live meeting dashboard with one click
- You can view and manage Read settings for your upcoming meetings straight from your Google Calendar, like whether to invite Read to the meeting, and whether the meeting is marked as flexible
- When scheduling a meeting in Google Calendar, Read will recommend the best time to schedule a meeting for all participants based on past meeting performance.
Features in the browser extension
In Google Calendar
The Read browser extension includes several features that are integrated natively into your Google Calendar, letting you add or remove Read on upcoming meetings, mark them as flexible, and choose from a list of recommended times:
You'll see the "Invite Read" and "Flexible Meeting" toggles both when creating a new event and when viewing the details of an event scheduled in the future.
The recommended times take into account actual historical data from your Read account (as well as any other Read users that are invited), to identify times when you typically have high engagement and punctuality. It will also prefer to recommend times that don't impede focus time; meaning it will encourage scheduling meetings immediately before or after other meetings on your calendar to maximize your periods without meetings.
These calendar overlay features can also be disabled in the extension settings:
In Google Meet
When you join a Google Meet, if Read is not already on the call, you'll see a pop up notification letting you add it:
If you choose to add Read, you can also pick a name for your report at that time.
This notification can be disabled from the extension settings:
If you dismiss the alert or have it disabled, you can still access this feature by clicking the Read icon along the bottom of the Meet screen.
The popup
When you click on the Read icon from your extensions menu, you'll get instant access to several of Read's core features right from the window that pops up:
From here, you can:
- See any in-progress meetings, with buttons to easily join the call (if it was on your calendar) or open the live meeting dashboard
- Quickly copy your Smart Scheduler Link for letting others easily schedule meetings on your calendar
- Have easy access to your recent meeting reports and a link to the Read dashboard
- View Read's recommendations for your meetings to make them more effective
We recommend pinning the extension so that the Read button is always visible and easily accessible at the top of your browser window.