Pretend You’re Calling From a Snowy Cafe With Google Meet’s New “Immersive” Backgrounds

Are you growing tired of using the same old backgrounds in your video calls? Well, Google might have just the solution for you. The search engine giant is adding new “immersive” backgrounds for Google Meet on the web, as announced in a recent blog post.

There are five backgrounds in total, all of which feature subtle animations that add a bit of life to your virtual surroundings. Cafe lets you pick from different weather conditions, namely sunny, rainy and snowy, while Condo lets you pick between day and night.

These new additions join Google Meet’s existing selection of video backgrounds, which already include Spaceship, Party and Beach, among others.

Google is also giving you the ability to customise your lighting with new effects and filters. You can set different options in the green room right before you join a call. You can alternatively set them once you are inside via the overflow menu.

The company adds that the new immersive backgrounds allow dispersed teams to represent their current time zones and climates. The lighting effects also help sell the illusion that they are calling from their selected backgrounds.

For now, only Google Workspace, G Suite Basic and Business customers will have access to the new backgrounds and effects. Google has already started rolling them out but noted that it could take up to 15 days for them to show up on users’ devices. No word yet on whether they will also be available for free users down the line, but here's to hoping.