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Published by J9 Systems. What's new in business tech, and what it means for yours.

From the brief of Monday, October 19, 2026 · No. 8

From the daily brief · Software

Google Meet adds post-quantum encryption to laptop calls Oct. 16; no admin action needed

Google turned on stronger Meet encryption for laptop browsers and room hardware, with mobile to follow, at no cost and with nothing for a small-business admin to set up.

By Carter Josephson · · 1 min read

What happened

Google said on Oct. 16, 2026 that Google Meet calls now use post-quantum cryptography, starting with laptop web clients and meeting room hardware, with mobile support coming soon. Google says there are no visible changes for users, and the same weekly recap introduced Assured Controls rules that let admins configure Access Management and Access Approvals policies using classification labels.

What it means for a 10-to-50-person business

This is a background security upgrade. Google says it protects call data against code-breaking by future quantum computers, and nobody has to change a setting or learn anything new. Take an 18-person accounting firm that holds about 40 client calls a week in Meet, most from laptops. Those calls now get the stronger encryption automatically. Staff who join from phones get it later, on a date Google has not given. The firm pays nothing extra and spends 0 admin hours.

The second item, Assured Controls rules, is a compliance feature for organizations with strict data-access rules. Google's recap does not say which Workspace plans include it, and a firm this size is unlikely to have it. Law and accounting practices that get asked about client-data security can note the Meet change for their next vendor questionnaire. Everyone else can ignore it.

What to do
Ignore

Take no action on Meet this month; if a client's security questionnaire asks about video-call encryption, mention that Google Meet now uses post-quantum cryptography on laptop and room-hardware calls.

What it costs
What it costs
Meet post-quantum encryption, any seat count
$0
Admin setup time
0 hrs
Assured Controls rules
plan eligibility not stated in Google's recap; check with your Workspace reseller
Doing nothing
$0; laptop and room-hardware calls are covered automatically, mobile follows on a date Google has not given
Sources
workspaceupdates.googleblog.com (primary) · Google Workspace Updates blog

Questions owners ask

Do I need to update Meet or change an admin setting?

No. Google says there are no visible changes and Meet works as before. Laptop web and meeting-room calls are already covered.

Are calls from phones covered?

Not yet. Google says mobile support is coming soon but has not given a date.

Does Assured Controls matter for a 10-to-50-person business?

Probably not. It is a compliance feature for organisations with strict data-access rules, and the excerpt does not say which Workspace plans include it.

Three to five of these, every weekday morning.

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