Google Meet for desktop is now getting new features for a better user experience.
The first one is the ability to view videos of 49 people at once in auto and tiled layout options. Thr videos will be available in form of tiles and by default, you will be able to see 9 tiles in Auto Layout, and 16 tiles in Tiled Layout.
Also, you will now be able to add your video as a tile too, in the layout. When you hover over your thumbnail in the top right corner, you’ll now see the option to add or remove yourself from the grid.
According to Google’s Blog Post, this will help the end users and will provide a better experience. The blog post read, “Seeing more people at the same time can improve the dynamics of larger group meetings and classes. Whether it’s seeing everyone’s reactions to what’s being discussed, or more easily tracking multiple speakers, it can help virtual meetings feel more like in-person meetings and encourage participation. Additionally, adding yourself as a full tile let’s you see yourself better.”
The full roll out of this feature for rapid release domains has already begun on September 15 while the Scheduled Release domains will start getting the feature from September 21.
Another feature added is the option to blur your background so you stand out in your video and to help limit the distractions in the video call.
“When it’s turned on, Meet will intelligently separate you from the background, blurring your surroundings while keeping you clear and in focus”, Google’s blog post read. “At launch, it will work on the Chrome Browser on Windows and Mac desktop devices. Support for ChromeOS and Meet mobile apps will be coming soon”, the blog post added.
The rollout for rapid release domains has begun on 15th September and the rollout for scheduled release will be starting from 28th September.
On a sidenote, Google Duo is also getting a new much awaited feature called the ‘Screen Sharing’ where the other person will be able to see what’s happening on your screen. The feature was announced by Google’s ‘MadeByGoogle’ Twitter account. A launch date for the feature is yet to be revealed.