Google Meet is trying to catch up to Zoom's popularity by adding new features such as custom backgrounds The ability to change Zoom's backgrounds has set the video conferencing service apart from its competitors And now Google Meet is trying to get into the game

Later this year, Google Meet will also roll out other upgrades that will give teachers and educators more control over their virtual classes users of G Suite for Education and G Suite Enterprise for Education will be able to moderation features such as raising hands, a less intrusive knock system, and stricter security protocols Google will also soon expand the video grid to allow up to 49 participants at a time

In recent months, demand for Zoom and other video calling services has skyrocketed as millions of people stay home; Zoom became the leader in this market with its then-unique gallery display format and virtual background However, competitors quickly tried to catch up; Google Meet introduced its own grid-style view and integrated it into Gmail

New features rolled out by Google Meet include:

Blur and custom backgrounds: meeting participants can blur the background or replace it with a preset or custom image

Larger Tiled View: Up to 49 participants can be seen on one screen

Additional moderation tools: The host can end the meeting for all participants, mute everyone, and disable chat during the meeting

Reduced Knocking Disturbance: People who are ejected from a meeting will not be able to knock again, nor will they be able to knock more than once

Improved meeting security: By default, anonymous participants are no longer allowed to join educational meetings Customers may change this setting to allow anonymous participants

Raise hands: Participants can "raise their hands" to ask questions or make comments

Attendance Tracking: Meeting organizers can more easily see the list of participants

Breakout Rooms: Participants can break into small groups for parallel discussions and reconvene afterwards

Polling: The host may share real-time polling with participants

Again, these upgrades are currently planned for educational institutions only Google has also not confirmed when these upgrades will be available