The video conferencing app Google Meet has become a household name at a time when trends such as remote working and online education are thriving. To make it better for users, Google has been rolling out many new features and capabilities to Meet to make it a preferred platform for video conferencing.
Google Meet Visual Effects Panel
Now, Google Meet is making it easier to set visual effects on the web. A recent update pushed to this app has added a new settings panel with a new “Apple visual effects” button in the three-dot menu beside the end call button on the app. This opens a side panel that has a preview feed, which starts by displaying two blur intensities. Notably, this feature was missed out by Google Meet users.
Also, there is a grid of several custom, static and animated backgrounds. Prior to a call, users can take a glance at these options within the self-check green room. There is also a minor refresh to make it appear contemporary. Google Meet has tabs for the “Audio and video” details that are followed by new “Preview” and “Effects” sections.
The new visual effects panel of Google Meet has started rolling out today. It will be available for all users in the coming weeks. Notably, these new features are meant for Google Workspace customers and users of G Suite Basic and Business. Recently, it was reported that Google will add the ability to ring another user via Google Meet, directly from Gmail.
Another Google Meet Feature
Apart from the rollout of the new visual effects panel, a recent report noted that the standalone Google Meet app will get the ability to place calls and not just create group meetings. As of now, there is no information regarding when the calling feature via Gmail will be available for users. We need to wait for more details to be revealed by Google.
It looks like Google intends to make Gmail the main hub for all its online services including Doc, Google Chat, Meet and more. Reportedly, the web client might get a redesign to integrate these services. We can expect all services to be integrated into Gmail over time.
