Google Meet app gets 360-degree virtual backgrounds; continues to compete with Zoom

Google Meet has added 360-degree virtual backgrounds for mobile users to use during video calls. This is on top of the library of immersive backgrounds that the service already has. This new feature, which uses your phone’s gyroscope to follow your movements, was announced by the company last month and is now making its way to iOS and Android devices.

The 360-degree background, as demonstrated in the GIF below, adapts to the viewer’s position in relation to the device. Consequently, if you shift your phone to the left or right, a new backdrop will automatically load.

According to Google, “several” new 360-degree backgrounds, such as a beach and a temple, are available for use during video calls.

While this is a neat new feature, it’s easy to see how it could be annoying if you were on a call with someone who kept shifting their phone. You can also use one of Meet’s Snapchat-style filters to transform into a cat, and another to superimpose your face onto a strawberry.

Google began adding emoji reactions for Meet last month, with support for the heart, thumbs-up, party popper, clap, joy, astonishment, thinking, cry, and thumbs-down emoji among others, but it has a ways to go before it can match Zoom’s full library of reactions.

The Tech giant is also in the process of gradually transitioning users to the new Meet app that combines the features of Duo, and sent out its final warnings last month in preparation for the switch.