Key Takeaways
- Google Meet for Android will soon get AI-generated meeting backgrounds, a feature that first appeared on the web version last year.
- When available, users will be able to generate custom meeting background images by leveraging the power of Google Gemini.
- Google Meet is also getting a holiday-themed style for backgrounds, although it’s only available on Android right now.
While you may find several video chat apps today, not many can match the functionality provided by Google Meet. One feature we’ve been tracking on the app recently is the ability to generate AI backgrounds for meetings, which first appeared on the web last year but is also on its way to Android. We’re now getting our first glimpse at how Google Meet on Android will let users create AI background images, courtesy of an APK teardown.
The folks over at Android Authority managed to activate this under-development Gemini feature in Meet version 277.0.693808058.duo.android_20241105.16_p1. While the site’s previous report confirmed the arrival of this AI background generation feature on Android, we didn’t know what it would look like, but that has changed now.
As we’ve learned already, the new Generate a background option will reside within Meet’s Effects menu. Once activated, users are taken to a page where they can enter the prompt, with the bottom of the page containing a link to a support page document to “learn more about generating backgrounds.”
It’s still not widely available
Using the example prompt “a street with colorful walls,” the video above illustrates how the app will generate these backgrounds. If you’re unhappy with the output, you can regenerate the same prompt for slightly different results. Each background can be previewed in real-time before you enter a meeting, while it’s also possible to enable backgrounds when you’re already on the call. Given that the feature is fully functional, we suspect it won’t be long before it’s widely available to all eligible Google Meet users.
Just like on the web version of Google Meet, users will have the option to choose one among many styles, which includes Photography, Sci-fi, Illustration, 3D animation, Fantasy, and Monochrome. There’s also a newly added style called Christmas to help you get in the holiday spirit early. Android Authority notes that this new holiday-themed style is unavailable on the web version of Meet, though that could change imminently.
The ability to generate AI backgrounds on Google Meet made it to the web version last year as part of Workspace Labs. But this feature has since been expanded to cover users with a Gemini for Google Workspace add-on or the Google One AI Premium subscription.