Google Meet May Allow Users to Blur Their Background During Video Calls

Google Meet, the video conferencing service by Google, is reportedly working on a new feature that will blur users' background during a video call. The development was reportedly spotted in the APK teardown of Google Meet version 41.5 for Android. It is also possible that the feature may not be rolled out to users at all as Google seems to be only testing it right now. Whereas, if the feature is indeed released, Google Meet will still be far behind competitors such as Microsoft Teams that already provides the option to blur the background.

According to a report by 9to5Google, the APK teardown of the Google Meet version 41.5 for Android hinted that the company is looking at the option to automatically blur the background during a Meet call. The benefits of this feature include a more aesthetically pleasing look as well as hiding the chaotic elements in the background. However, it appears that the Google Meet version 41.5 is currently limited to only certain regions. In India, Android users can currently download/update Google Meet version 41.0 via Google Play Store.

As mentioned, Google Meet gaining background blur feature would still put it far behind its competitors such as Microsoft Teams that already provides this option. Similarly, Google Meet's another competitor, Zoom also offers the option to replace or customise the background during a video call.

Meanwhile, Google Meet recently crossed the 50 million downloads mark on Google Play Store. The company last month also revealed its plan to add several features to the platform for better user experience. This includes layout improvement, better low-light video performance, and more.

Google Meet earlier this month was made free to everyone with a Google account and not just enterprise and education customers via G Suite, as was previously the case. Similarly, Meet integration was added to the left sidebar panel of Gmail.

How are we staying sane during this Coronavirus lockdown? We discussed this on Orbital, our weekly technology podcast, which you can subscribe to via Apple Podcasts or RSS, download the episode, or just hit the play button below.