This new Google Meet filter will finally let you live out your dream of wearing a hat on a call - and that's not all

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Combine backgrounds and filters on Google Meet calls

hand holding a phone with google workspace on the screen
(Image credit: Shutterstock)

Livening up your look on a Google Meet call will soon be easier than ever thanks to a major new update.

The video conferencing service has announced a host of new effects and filters, including one that gives the user a virtual woolly hat and scarf, along with the ability to combine multiple features for the first time.

The company says combining a background effect with a filter effect can help, "create a more dynamic, fun experience...this gives you the flexibility to find the right mix of effects that will represent you best during your meetings."

Google Meet stackable effects filters

(Image credit: Google Meet)

Google Meet live streaming

Users will be able to keep track of which effects they are using via a new layer icon on the self view tile, which can also be used to remove specific effects, or strike them all at once.

The tool will be available across mobile and web versions of Google Meet, which will both see a new user interface for effects, which Google says offers a streamlined design, grouped by category, to make it easier for you to discover and apply various features.

This includes backgrounds, which are now organized into categories based on the type of scene you are looking for, and filters, which are sorted into areas such as accessories, costumes and characters.

There are also specific appearance tweaks to adjust your look, with Google Meet also revealing changes to studio lighting and audio when using the web version of the service.

The former will utilize the Duet AI for Google Workspace Enterprise add-on to "simulate studio-quality lighting", with users able to adjust the lighting position, brightness and color.

When it comes to audio, Google Meet says the Duet AI add-on will use AI to recreate higher audio frequencies, automatically improving poor audio quality from typical bluetooth headsets and dial-in participants.

All the new additions are rolling out now, with rapid release domains receiving the updates first, with the ability to combine multiple video effects being available to all Google Workspace users.

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Mike Moore
Mike Moore
Deputy Editor, TechRadar Pro

Mike Moore is Deputy Editor at TechRadar Pro. He has worked as a B2B and B2C tech journalist for nearly a decade, including at one of the UK's leading national newspapers and fellow Future title ITProPortal, and when he's not keeping track of all the latest enterprise and workplace trends, can most likely be found watching, following or taking part in some kind of sport.