Google Meet gets refreshed look on web; provides more space for content

Besides, Google will soon be launching the Data Saver feature that limits data usage on mobile networks to allow you and the person you're calling to save on data costs. In the coming weeks, light adjustment will also be rolled out to enhance brightness and improve visibility for Meet users everywhere, especially in a dark environment.

Google is rolling out a refreshed look for Google Meet on the web along with new helpful features that provide more space for content and control over layouts.

The refreshed Google Meet desktop/laptop experience will be available to all Workspace users as well as those using Google Meet with a personal Google account. Starting May 3, the update will gradually roll out to Rapid Release domains while the gradual rollout for Scheduled Release domains will commence on May 17th.

When the new UI is enabled, you will see a banner saying "Meet has a new look" before joining a call. Here are the new features coming with the updated design:

Video feeds

• You'll be able to pin multiple tiles to customize what you focus on
• You can resize, reposition, and hide your own video feed to concentrate on the call.
• Your self-view appears in the bottom right of the grid to put more video feeds at eye-level as you look into the camera.

Viewing and presenting experience

• See what you are presenting while in Google Meet.
• Unpin the content you or others share to make the presentation tile smaller and view all participants
• Participant names are always visible regardless of meeting size.

Bottom bar

• Meeting dial-in codes, attachments, the participants list, chat, and other activities are at the bottom right to create more vertical space for seeing people and content.
• Controls are consolidated in one place with descriptions available upon hover.
• Leave call button is moved away from the microphone and camera buttons to prevent accidental call hang-ups.
• Bottom bar is always visible, while not covering cover captions and bottom video feeds.

Other visual updates

• When someone speaks, their tile is outlined in blue.
• Mute indicators are subdued to reduce visual distraction.
• When there are more participants than can be shown on the grid, a tile is added so you always remember who's on the call.

Besides, Google will soon be launching the Data Saver feature that limits data usage on mobile networks to allow you and the person you're calling to save on data costs. In the coming weeks, light adjustment will also be rolled out to enhance brightness and improve visibility for Meet users everywhere, especially in a dark environment.

Further, an AI-powered feature called Autozoom will be available to Google Workspace (paid) subscribers in the coming months. It helps others see you more clearly by zooming in and positioning you squarely in front of your camera.

Lastly, Google will also be rolling out video background replacement, with options to choose from a classroom, a party and a forest, to help you maintain privacy whilst making your video calls more fun.