Google Meet offers the ability to change the background of a video call!

For example, teachers can now make the online whiteboard available, disable students from chatting with others or blur the background. But the news from the world of Google Meet is far from over!

Suppressing ambient noise

With this new feature, you can enjoy even more convenient communication from the comfort of your home in Google Meet. The active noise suppression feature is provided by artificial intelligence, which the developers have been working on for three years. Earlier tests have even shown that the feature is much better than noise cancellation tools used by competitors such as Teams.

You activate ambient noise suppression by clicking on Settings.

Advanced moderator features

The first additions are new video call moderator options. He can now disable listeners from sharing their screen or chat with others.

The moderator can:

• Disable or enable screen sharing (by default, everyone can share their screen)
• Disable or enable listener chat (by default, everyone can chat)
• Disable Quick Access - this is a feature that allows listeners to enter the room without having to knock

New features for the moderator can be found in the bottom left section labeled "Moderator Controls."

Shared Jamboard

Jamboard is originally a standalone service that allows you to draw and write on the whiteboard, add images, or lead a narration using a touch pen during a video conference. Now, however, you can find Jamboard directly in Google Meet.

In practice, it looks like the moment you add a new Jam (that's what the Jamboard files are called) to a video conference, a link to that Jamboard will appear in the chat for participants. It's up to you to select the appropriate permissions. Up to 40 users can work on 20 pages at a time.

Permission options:

• Reader - this person can only monitor the board
• Complete permissions - in this case the watcher can interfere with the board

Fuzzy background

Latest came Google Meet with the ability to blur the background or upload any image instead. Something similar is already offered by competing services in the form of Zoom and Microsoft Teams. These even allow you to put a person in a virtual desk and create the atmosphere of a real school.

You can choose a Google Meet option before you even start your call - just select the box in the bottom right corner of your image. At base, you'll find a field to blur the background, but once the new feature is activated, it changes to a recording option.

You can currently find this feature in Chrome browser on Windows, macOS and ChromeOS. It should gradually come to mobile phones as well.