Meetings on Google Meet should finally get a little more personal for iOS device users thanks to a new update to the platform. The online giant has revealed that users of its video conferencing tool can now blur or replace their background with an image in Google Meet on iOS. iPhone or iPad users will be able to choose from Google-curated images that include office spaces, landscapes, and abstract backgrounds, or use their own image.
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"Custom backgrounds can help you show more of your personality, as well as hide your surroundings," Google said in a blog post announcing the update. The new functionality is now available to all users, including all Google Workspace customers, as well as G Suite Basic and Business customers, and users with a personal Google account. The feature will be disabled by default for end users, which means you'll need to contact your Google Workspace administrator to enable it. Users will need iOS 12 or later to run the feature, with an iPhone 8 or later, or an iPad fifth generation and later.
(Image credit: Google) To activate the feature before a video meeting, users will need to press the Effects button on the auto-display screen that appears before joining a Google Meet call. There you'll see options to "slightly blur" or completely blur your background, as well as a tool to upload your own background images. Users can also choose from several different styles and filters, and can remove all effects at any time. Backgrounds can also be changed during a Google Meet call, also by tapping on the Effects option and then selecting the same offers as above. Google warns that changing the background can increase battery usage, so you might want to turn it off if your battery is low. The announcement comes weeks after Google announced that Chrome browser users would be able to change their background after months of waiting. The search giant first added the ability to use custom backgrounds in Meet in October 2020, as it tried to keep up with rivals Zoom and Microsoft Teams. However, users were initially able to select only three Google-made videos showing a classroom, a party, and a forest.