Update [July 7, 2021]: This will now start rolling out on July 14, 2021, and will be a gradual rollout (up to 15 days for feature visibility). We previously stated that the rollout would start on July 7, 2021
What’s changing
Customize how you appear in a meeting
Tapping over your video feed allows you to select between a tile in the grid or a floating picture. You can also reposition or hide it to help you concentrate on the call. Your self-view will appear in the bottom right of the grid, allowing you to focus on the video feeds at eye-level.
Improved viewing and presenting experience
You can unpin the content others share, allowing you to see more and larger video feeds. Participant names will always be visible regardless of meeting size.
Streamlined bottom bar
We’ve moved the meeting dial-in codes, attachments, the participants list, chat, and other activities to the bottom right to create more space to view people and content. Volume and other controls are consolidated in one place for easy access. The leave call button has been moved away from the microphone and camera buttons to help prevent accidental call hang-ups. The bottom bar is always visible, but it will not cover captions and bottom video feeds.
Additional improvements include
Now, when someone is speaking, their tile will be outlined in blue, making it easier to identify who is speaking, especially in larger meetings. Mute indicators are more subdued, helping 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.
Improved viewing experience and streamlined bottom bar on Chromebase for Meetings
Improved presenting experience on Chromebase for Meetings
Visual refresh for Google Meet hardware kits
To deliver a consistent experience for Google Meet, you’ll notice rounded corners on tiles, Google Sans font throughout, and the new color scheme on TV displays and touch controllers across all Google Meet hardware kits. Note that for hardware kits, self view is always shown in the upper right corner and currently can't be removed or resized.
Visual refresh for Google Meet hardware kit displays
Visual refresh for Google Meet hardware touch controllers
Who’s impacted End users
Why you’d use it These changes will bring a consistent experience for Google Meet no matter where or how you join a meeting. Additionally, we hope features such as the re-organized bottom bar, grid layouts, speaking indicators, and more make it easier to engage, share information, and collaborate with your meeting participants.
Additional details In some cases, your self-view could appear with gray bars at the top and bottom to show you everything your camera sees. Other participants might see a cropped version of your video feed.
Getting started Admins: There is no admin control for this feature.End users: There is no end user action required, these improvements will be available by default on Meet hardware devices.
Rollout pace
Availability Available to all Google Workspace customers using Meet hardware devices.
Resources
