Imagine a scenario where you have a meeting scheduled this afternoon. You've already prepared for it, and leading up to your meeting you get really focused on a task and lose track of time.
Right before your meeting, this comes across your screen.
You suddenly remember the upcoming meeting. Instead of scrambling to find the meeting notes and video call link, you simply click on the notification and both open.
Introducing companion mode!
Companion mode is part of the desktop app that allows users to join a meeting via a notification, the tray app or within Fellow. Once opened, companion mode will only show the note for that meeting you just joined and is kept on top of other windows by default. The note shows as a condensed floating view of the desktop app that shows alongside your video call or other windows.
Now that we've covered what companion mode is, we'll now go into some of the details including:
Enabling companion mode
Companion mode is a component of Fellow's desktop app. To enable companion mode, you'll first need to download the desktop app. Once the desktop app is installed, companion mode will be enabled by default, and it will open the floating window whenever you join a meeting.
If you ever need to have the floating window open without having to join a meeting, you can go to the three-dot menu on the top right corner of your meeting, and click "Open companion mode"
Customize your notifications/settings for companion mode
Customizing your notifications/settings is a great way to ensure that you are getting the most out of this feature. To do this:
Open the desktop app
Click on User Settings
Then choose Desktop app from the menu. Here you'll see 3 main areas: Desktop notifications, Tray menu, Companion mode.
While there are many things that you can edit, we recommend prioritizing:
Customizing when you would like to be notified in relation to the start of the meeting AND whether or not you would like that notification to have a sound
Choosing the tools that you would like companion mode to be enabled for. These include: Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, Zoom, Skype for Business and Other.
Companion mode and the browser extension
While companion mode and Fellow's browser extensions have some similar functionalities, they have distinct functionalities.
Companion mode will allow you to enjoy some of the same functionalities that you get with Google Meet but with other video conferencing providers that might use and/or other windows outside of Google Meet. This is great if you use Google Meet for some calls, but Zoom for others including external customer calls. And by using the desktop app in general, you'll receive notifications from Fellow to help you be on time for your meetings.
The browser extension provides additional functionalities with Google calendar including action item indicators on your calendar, and the ability to create action items directly from your Google Calendar.
Because of these distinct functionalities, we recommend using both the browser extension and companion mode. However, we do suggest editing your companion mode settings to turn off companion mode for Google Meet.
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