Change background and apply visual effects in Google Meet

To help limit distractions or make meetings more fun, you can now blur your background or apply:

• An immersive background
• A static background
• A seasonal background
• A custom image provided by you or your organization
• Special effects such as filters

You can also apply styles to customize your video with various lighting, color filters, and stylized backgrounds.

To help devices better run real-time video, you can process background blur effects and light adjustments in the cloud. This feature saves battery and processor power and optimizes meeting quality.

Important:

• Sensitive information might be visible when you change your background.
• Availability of backgrounds, filters, and styles are subject to client type, account type, and settings applied by Google Workspace admins. Workspace admins can switch background replace options and special effects on or off for their organization.

Change background  

Important: To use Change background and Effects on an Android device, you must use one of the following devices with Android version P:

• A Samsung Galaxy S9 and up
• Pixel 3 and up
• Other similar devices

Before a meeting

1. Open the Meet app select a meeting.
2. Before you join, on the bottom of your self view, tap Effects .
   • To slightly blur your background, tap Slightly blur .
   • To completely blur your background, tap Blur background .
   • To upload your own background, tap Add .
   • To select a pre-uploaded background, tap the background you want to use.
   • To select a style, at the bottom, tap Styles the style you want to use.
   • To select a filter, at the bottom, tap Filters the filter you want to use.
     • Tip: If the filter is interactive, follow the directions on the screen to activate it.
   • To remove the effect, tap No effects or tap .
3. When you are done, tap Done.
4. Tap Join.

During a meeting

1. On your self view, tap Effects .
   • To slightly blur your background, tap Slightly blur .
   • To completely blur your background, tap Blur background .
   • To upload your own background, tap Add .
   • To select a pre-uploaded background, tap the background you want to use.
   • To select a style, at the bottom, tap Styles the style you want to use.
   • To select a filter, at the bottom, tap Filters the filter you want to use.
     • Tip: If the filter is interactive, follow the directions on the screen to activate it.
2. When you are done, tap Close .

Background effects may increase your battery usage. You may want to turn the effects off if your battery is low. Your video may be cropped to view other participants so some of the background or effect may not be visible to other participants.

Tip: To see how you look with a different background, check your self view.