Share tab audio in Google Meet

The #1 support question we get at TA pilot is "voice polls worked when I tested locally but not in my Meet call." 9 times out of 10, the fix is that tab audio wasn't shared.

What's happening

When you share a screen in Google Meet, there's a checkbox — small, easily missed — that says "Also share tab audio." If it's unchecked, Meet sends the visuals to remote viewers but NOT the audio playing in that tab. So:

• Video players in the shared tab are silent to the remote audience
• Audio cues from Chrome extensions don't reach remote viewers
• Voice-recognition features (like TA pilot's voice polls) can't

hear your mic + tab audio for remote processing

The 3-click fix

1. Click Present now in Meet
2. Pick A window (not Entire Screen, not Chrome tab)
3. Before clicking Share, check the Share tab audio checkbox

That's it. Remote viewers now hear your tab audio alongside your mic.

Why this matters for TA pilot

TA pilot's voice-triggered polls listen for phrases like "let's vote on A, B or C" and turn them into live audience polls. The listening happens on YOUR device, but audience members watching remotely need to hear your voice to understand what you're polling about.

If you share without audio, the poll still triggers for you, but remote viewers only see it appear on their phone without context.

Gotchas

• Windows vs. Mac: Chrome for Mac allowed tab audio sharing for

years; Windows was behind until 2022. Make sure you're on a recent Chrome.

• "Entire Screen" audio: When sharing the entire screen, the

system audio is shared. Tab audio specifically is easier and preferred.

• Firefox and Safari: Meet's tab audio sharing is Chrome-only.

Use Chrome for live-shared webinars.

Related: screen sharing Slides specifically

Always share the Slides WINDOW, not the entire screen. You don't want your desktop notifications, dock, or browser chrome visible to attendees.

The window option also means your sidebar (e.g. TA pilot) travels with the share, so remote viewers see the QR pinned next to your slide.

Sanity check

Before going live, run this 30-second test:

1. Screen-share your Slides tab with audio
2. Open any YouTube video, play it
3. Ask a colleague to join Meet and confirm they hear it
4. Stop sharing

If they didn't hear it, the audio checkbox wasn't ticked. Redo the share.

Tiny gotcha. Huge difference.