Google Meet rolls out 360-degree digital backgrounds for video calls

As you possibly can see within the embedded GIF, the 360-degree background will change relying on the place your cellphone or pill’s positioned. So, in case you transfer your cellphone left or proper, your background will regulate to indicate totally different surroundings. Google says customers can apply “a number of” new 360-degree backgrounds throughout video calls, together with one which exhibits a seaside and one other with a temple.

Whereas the characteristic does look fairly cool, I can see how these backgrounds would possibly get distracting in case you’re on a name with somebody who’s consistently transferring their cellphone round. Nonetheless, they’re nonetheless in all probability not as obnoxious as Meet’s assortment of Snapchat-like filters — which at present consists of one which turns you right into a cat and one other that places your face on a strawberry.

Final month, Google began rolling out emoji reactions for Meet, together with the guts, thumbs-up, occasion popper, clap, pleasure, astonished, pondering, cry, and thumbs-down emoji, however it nonetheless has an extended strategy to go if it desires to meet up with Zoom’s full library of reactions. Google’s additionally within the technique of progressively transitioning customers to the brand new Meet app that mixes the options of Duo, and despatched out its last warnings final month because it prepares to modify customers over.