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 organisation
• Special effects such as filters

You can also apply styles to customise your video with various lighting, colour filters and stylised backgrounds.

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

Important:

• Sensitive information might be visible when you change your background.

• In your self view, your background will appear mirrored or inverted. However, the other participants in the meeting will see the correct orientation.

• Availability of backgrounds, filters and styles are subject to client type, account type and settings applied by Google Workspace admins. Workspace admins can let users apply backgrounds and special effects.

Change background 

Important: To use Change background and Effects on an iOS device, you must use one of the following devices:

• iPhone 8 and up
• iPad 5th generation and up
• iOS 12 or above

1. Open the Meet app select a meeting.
2. Before you join or during a meeting, tap Effects at the bottom of your self view.
   • You can adjust and stack visual effects across different categories. Tap the category and scroll down.
     • Under the Backgrounds tab
       • To slightly blur your background, tap Slightly blur .
       • To completely blur your background, tap Blur .
       • To upload your own background, tap Upload .
       • To select a pre-uploaded background, tap the background that you want to use.
       • To remove the effect, tap No effects, or tap .
     • Under the Filters tab
       • Tap the filter that you want to use.
         • Tip: If the filter is interactive, follow the on-screen instruction to turn it on.
     • Under the Appearance tab
       • To lightly touch up your appearance, select an option under 'Portrait touch-up'.
       • To adjust video lighting, tap under 'Adjust video for low light'.
       • To change the style, tap the style that you want to use.
   • To select or remove the stacked effects, on the right of your self view, tap Stack .
     • Select the effects that you want to remove, or tap Remove all to remove all effects.
     • To minimise the stack view, tap Close .
     • The number in the green bubble indicates the number of effects that you've applied.
3. Once you've finished, tap Done in the top-right corner to close the Effects panel.

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.