How to Change Background in Google Meet on Mobile and PC
Previously, you needed the Snap Camera or a third-party extension to use virtual backgrounds in Google Meet. Fortunately, that has changed now. Google Meet supports the use of custom backgrounds as well as the ability to blur the background. How do I change the background in Google Meet on Android, iPhone, iPad, and computer? Find the answer here.
Let’s start with computers, followed by mobile applications.
How to add a virtual background in Google Meet on PC
You can change the background before joining a video or during a video call. Let’s check the steps for both. However, before that you need to know a few important things
- You can change the background on Windows, Mac, and Linux by following the steps mentioned below.
- Your camera will be activated automatically if it is deactivated when you select a virtual background.
- If you join a call without being signed in to a Google Account or if you need to knock to be admitted, you can change the background once in the video call.
- If you’re joining a Google Workspace for Education video call, you can’t select your background images.
- The background blur option is currently available on Chrome browser (version M84 and above only). Other browsers do not support the feature.
- For Chromebooks, you must use Chrome OS version M86 or higher.
- You need to enable Chrome hardware acceleration. To do this, go to Settings in Chrome> Advanced> System. Enable Use hardware acceleration. Restart Chrome.
- Your browser must support WebGL 2.0.
Change the background in Google Meet before you join a call
Step 1: Go to the meeting join screen in Google Meet. You will see a preview of your video. Click the Change Background icon.
Advice: If you don’t see the Change Background icon, click the three-dot icon and select Change Background.
2nd step: The predefined backgrounds will appear. You can choose from these or click the Add (+) icon to add your background from your computer.
Alternatively, you can only blur the existing background without using a virtual background. You get two blur options – slightly blurry or completely blur the background. Use them as needed.
You will see a preview of yourself with the background. Click Join Now to join the meeting.
Change the background in Google Meet during a call
Once you’ve joined a Google Meet meeting, click the three-dot icon at the bottom. Select Change Background from the menu.
You will now be greeted by some backgrounds offered by Google. You can select one, upload your own, or just blur the background like we did above using the options available.
Advice: Find out different ways to fix Google Meet background blur that isn’t working.
How to remove virtual background in Google Meet on PC
At any time, if you decide to stop using the virtual background, you don’t need to disconnect the call. Just tap the three-dot icon at the bottom when you’re on a call. Select Change Background. Then click on the Disable backgrounds button.
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How to add a virtual background in Google Meet on Android, iPhone and iPad
Unfortunately, you can’t completely change the background on the Google Meet mobile apps. However, you can blur the background as shown below. But for this, certain conditions must be met. Those are:
- You must be using an Android device running Android 9.0 Pie or later.
- You must have an iPhone 6s or newer running iOS 12 and above.
- Your Android device must have at least 3 GB of RAM, 4 processor cores, 1.6 GHz processor clock speed, and ARM64 architecture.
To blur the background before capturing a video, select the meeting or add the meeting code. You will see your point of view. Tap Blur your background icon. A preview will appear. If you like it, click Join Now to join the meeting. You can also press the same button to turn it off.
If you’ve joined a meeting before, tap your video preview. Then tap your background blur icon to turn on background blur. Use the same option to turn it off.
Try new backgrounds
While using a virtual background or blurry background might sound appealing, it does have its drawbacks. Your computer may slow down when you use a virtual background. Likewise, its use will have an impact on the battery of mobile devices. We suggest you use it when you are not doing any other task on your computer and you have enough juice left in your phone. A better option would be to put your phone on charge while it is in use.