What you need to know
- Google was spotted rolling out its newest tile redesign in Meet, which we’ve heard previously.
- The redesign will sample colors from a user’s profile picture when their camera is not in use, creating a classier, modern take on the old bland gray background.
- This “color-sampling” feature was highlighted during Google Meet’s large update announcement in late March alongside “Dynamic Layouts.”
Google seems to have a slight design revamp rolling out for its video calling experience on desktop.
The redesign in Meet was spotted for its tiles by Android Central’s Editor-in-Chief (EIC), Shruti Shekar, earlier today (Apr. 25). According to her discovery, this particular tile revamp only concerns users who aren’t using their camera. Previously, this would default your tile to a gray background with your circular profile icon in its center.
However, today’s update brings a little more pizazz.
We’ve observed a more appealing, vibrant coloring behind our profile icons when in a Meet call. While the coloring may seem random, it’s actually taking colors from our Google account pictures to produce a classier appearance. For our EIC, it sampled the brown brick coloring of her background.
Android Central’s News Editor, Nandika Ravi, had a bluish coloring in her portrait’s background sampled and implanted onto the tile. Another interesting change is that the user’s profile icon is taken and blown up in the background of the colored tile. It’s then blurred to complete the more modern take on an otherwise bland gray history.
You can take a look at Meet’s before and after photos. While we’ve noticed this today, our EIC states the change was only seen on her Mac laptop. Perhaps this is rolling out for iOS desktops to start before Windows PCs receive it — keep your eyes peeled.
A Focus on Google Meet
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Google’s been slowly rolling out updates for Meet that improve the experience significantly. In August 2024, the company brought upgraded on-the-go calling for users who are, for example, driving. The feature arrived for Android and iOS devices, bringing enlarged buttons and an audio-only mode to ensure you’re not distracted (but still paying attention).
On a more fun side, Meet gained “stacked” effects. Users can add unique “accessories” to their video stream during a call, like characters, costumes, and more.
Regarding the new tiles in Meet, that was wrapped in another large update from late March. In its Workspace post, Google said the “visual upgrade” would bring “color-sampled tile theming for users with their cameras off.” We’re not seeing to what extent this color sampling function will go for users and their diverse profile pictures. Additionally, the update leaned heavily on AI with “Dynamic Layouts.”
These layouts will crop out useless background space in your video stream to prioritize your face and the faces of others.
