Google Meet Unveils New Immersive Backgrounds for Video Calls on Web

Google Meet has introduced new immersive backgrounds and styles, allowing Web users to change their backgrounds while on a video call. The platform has introduced two new animated backdrops, Cafe and Condo, to help users represent their current time zone and climate.

Both interiors will have multiple iterations, including rain, sun, and snow, as well as morning and night time zones. Previously, Google Meet provided background options such as classroom, party, and forest.

In addition, Google Meet allows you to customize the video by adding various light and color filters as well as more stylized backgrounds.

Google Meet received a new update on November 17th, according to a blog post. According to Google, the five new immersive, subtle animations will make a background more lively or change the lighting settings. As previously stated, Google Meet desktop users can choose from the effects settings panel Condo (morning or night) and Cafe (Rainy, Snowy, or Sunny) for animated video backgrounds before joining or during a call.

The new animated background options are now available to Google Workspace users as well as G Suite Basic and Business users. Personal Google accounts are currently ineligible. According to Google, it could take up to 15 days for eligible devices to see the new options.

Google also warns that changing the background may slow down the device.

Google introduced custom backgrounds for video calls in 2020 in an attempt to compete with Zoom. Since then, the video calling platform has been releasing updates and changes to the feature. It added a new settings panel in September of this year to provide quick access to effects such as background blur, background images, and styles.

In addition, the company announced a feature to correct poor lighting during video calls. When a Web user appears underexposed during a video call, the feature automatically increases the brightness of their device to improve visibility.