Google Meet adds new immersive backgrounds, raises participant limit to 500

The new backgrounds mimic a condo or cafe with snowy or rainy weather.

What you need to know

• Google Meet has picked up new immersive backgrounds on the web to make your video feed more realistic.
• You can also use the new light and color filters to match your actual lighting condition with that of your chosen background.
• Google has also raised the maximum number of people who can participate in a call to 500.

Google Meet's video backgrounds are an excellent way to replace your untidy surroundings with preset images or to apply a blur effect to video calls before or during a meeting. This feature has now been improved with a new update that creates the illusion that you are actually in your chosen background.

The videoconferencing service's image backgrounds are now a bit more consistent with the weather in your location with the launch of immersive backgrounds on the web. You can pick from any of the different types of animated backdrops, including cafe and condo interiors. There are various iterations as well that you can apply to your chosen background, such as snowy or rainy weather and a day or night time setting.

Furthermore, Google Meet has added new light and color filters, as well as more stylized backgrounds, to make your video feed look more realistic. Previously, regardless of the backdrop you used, the actual lighting in your room could still be seen. The lighting in your video feed will now be more representative of your chosen environment, thanks to the new update.

As usual, you can use the Effects panel to add these new backgrounds and filters before or during a call. However, it is currently limited to Meet's web version, with no word on when it will be available on Android. Given that Google introduced video backgrounds to many of the best Android phones in September, it's only a matter of time before the immersive backdrops make their way to mobile.

The new backgrounds and styles come hard on the heels of the new size limit for Meet participants. Select Google Workspace customers can now host meetings with up to 500 participants. The new limit is applied automatically to all meetings, with no action required from admins or end users.

Google is rolling out immersive backgrounds and styles only to all Workspace customers, as well as G Suite Basic and Business users, though it may take a few more weeks to be available to everyone.

Meanwhile, the new participant limit is live only to paying customers on the Workspace Business Plus, Enterprise Standard, Enterprise Plus, and Education Plus tiers.