Google Meet will soon allow users to add images or a blur effect to backgrounds on video calls, reports 9to5Google.

google meet
In addition, Google told The Verge that it is working on several other features that should make Meet more competitive against rival videoconferencing platforms like Zoom and Microsoft Teams.

These new options include real-time captioning, a low-light mode, hand-raising, and a tile view of up to 49 other people on a video call.

No release date for the upcoming features has been given, but Google is understood to be previewing some of them to education and enterprise customers.

Google made its premium Meet service free to use in April, and the company followed that up by announcing Meet integration for Gmail on iOS and Android.

Anyone interested in using Google Meet can download the Hangouts Meet iOS app from the App Store or head to meet.google.com to use the web browser version.

Top Rated Comments

japanime Avatar
53 months ago

Google’s latest me too product that will probably have 5 rebrands.
Coming soon: Google Bunch.



Attachment Image
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
japanime Avatar
53 months ago
Cool! I'm gonna make a Google Meet background image of Sundar Pichai looking over my shoulder. :p
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
biziclop Avatar
53 months ago
Something tells me that the people on the image have absolutely nothing to do with each other in real life. :)
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Westside guy Avatar
53 months ago

Don’t know who I trust less ?
Google or
Zoom???
Well, at least you can assume Zoom will still be offering their videoconference product a few years down the road. Google will probably have killed Meet off by then and cycled through a couple replacements.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Wanted797 Avatar
53 months ago
I love how everyone has perfect head height photos.

Yeah like anyone’s webcam is positioned like that.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
sirozha Avatar
53 months ago
Google Meet allowed my son to learn remotely for 10 weeks once the schools closed down. The school went from never using the platform to 100% live online lessons in one day. Google Classroom was amazing. All the misdirected hate should be addressed to Apple, which has nothing to offer at all.

Google is improving Google Meet while Apple is not even working on creating an educational platform that’s suitable for remote learning.

Schools will be closed the next school year. My son’s school will be using Google Classroom. If they bring these new features (especially raising hands) by the beginning of the school year, this will make Google Classroom even more awesome.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iPhone SE 4 Vertical Camera Feature

iPhone SE 4 Production Will Reportedly Begin Ramping Up in October

Tuesday July 23, 2024 2:00 pm PDT by
Following nearly two years of rumors about a fourth-generation iPhone SE, The Information today reported that Apple suppliers are finally planning to begin ramping up mass production of the device in October of this year. If accurate, that timeframe would mean that the next iPhone SE would not be announced alongside the iPhone 16 series in September, as expected. Instead, the report...
iPhone 17 Plus Feature

iPhone 17 Lineup Specs Detail Display Upgrade and New High-End Model

Monday July 22, 2024 4:33 am PDT by
Key details about the overall specifications of the iPhone 17 lineup have been shared by the leaker known as "Ice Universe," clarifying several important aspects of next year's devices. Reports in recent months have converged in agreement that Apple will discontinue the "Plus" iPhone model in 2025 while introducing an all-new iPhone 17 "Slim" model as an even more high-end option sitting...
Generic iPhone 17 Feature With Full Width Dynamic Island

Kuo: Ultra-Thin iPhone 17 to Feature A19 Chip, Single Rear Camera, Semi-Titanium Frame, and More

Wednesday July 24, 2024 9:06 am PDT by
Apple supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo today shared alleged specifications for a new ultra-thin iPhone 17 model rumored to launch next year. Kuo expects the device to be equipped with a 6.6-inch display with a current-size Dynamic Island, a standard A19 chip rather than an A19 Pro chip, a single rear camera, and an Apple-designed 5G chip. He also expects the device to have a...
iPhone 16 Pro Sizes Feature

iPhone 16 Series Is Less Than Two Months Away: Everything We Know

Thursday July 25, 2024 5:43 am PDT by
Apple typically releases its new iPhone series around mid-September, which means we are about two months out from the launch of the iPhone 16. Like the iPhone 15 series, this year's lineup is expected to stick with four models – iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, and iPhone 16 Pro Max – although there are plenty of design differences and new features to take into account. To bring ...
icloud private relay outage

iCloud Private Relay Experiencing Outage

Thursday July 25, 2024 3:18 pm PDT by
Apple’s iCloud Private Relay service is down for some users, according to Apple’s System Status page. Apple says that the iCloud Private Relay service may be slow or unavailable. The outage started at 2:34 p.m. Eastern Time, but it does not appear to be affecting all iCloud users. Some impacted users are unable to browse the web without turning iCloud Private Relay off, while others are...
iPhone 17 Plus Feature Purple

iPhone 17 Rumored to Feature Mechanical Aperture

Tuesday July 23, 2024 9:32 am PDT by
Apple is planning to release at least one iPhone 17 model next year with mechanical aperture, according to a report published today by The Information. The mechanical system would allow users to adjust the size of the iPhone 17's aperture, which refers to the opening of the camera lens through which light enters. All existing iPhone camera lenses have fixed apertures, but some Android...