This article is for organization admins to help prepare their users for the launch of Dynamic layouts, Dynamic tiles, and Face match.
Your users can now experience new flexible layouts in Google Meet meetings on the web (desktop and laptop devices) and in physical meeting rooms using Google Meet hardware devices. These improvements enhance screen-space efficiency and representational equity for hybrid meetings.
New portrait tile layout on web & rooms
With new portrait tiles, tiles are more flexible than before. Depending on the size of the user’s window and the number of participants on the call, video feeds can now appear cropped in the grid as portrait tiles.
While tiles have a new minimum permitted aspect ratio, it doesn’t mean every tile will be portrait. As a general rule, tiles will still stretch to take up as much space as is available, so non-portrait (landscape) tiles will still be common in many layout configurations. There are lots of other reasons why tiles may appear in the grid as an uncropped tiles:
- Meet hardware rooms that do not have the Dynamic tiles feature active
- Meet hardware rooms that do have Dynamic tiles active, but there are more than 3 people present
- Mobile devices
- Presentation tiles
- A user’s tile that you manually uncropped
- A user that opted to always show their uncropped video to others
- A user’s own uncropped self-view (one of the 3 display options and visible only in their own grid)
Revert back to legacy layouts on web
We are changing the default layout to Auto (dynamic), but users can go back to Tiled (legacy) by following these steps:
- In the meeting, at the bottom, click More options
Change layout
.
- From the list of options, select Tiled (legacy)
to close the pop-up.
The user’s layout option is saved for future meetings.
Tip: They can use the same steps to change back to Auto (dynamic) or Spotlight or Sidebar.
Revert back to legacy layouts on room devices
The default layout on room devices will be Auto (dynamic), but you and your users can revert back to legacy layouts.
From touch controller:
- In the meeting, from the touch controller, tap Change layout
- From the list of options, select Tiled (legacy)
From remote control:
- Using the remote control, press Menu Settings
- Use the Up arrow and Down arrow to highlight Tiled (legacy)
- Press Menu twice to collapse the sidebar.
From touchscreen:
- At the bottom, tap More
- In the Change layout box, tap the layout that you want to use.
About new flexible self-view options
Users now have more options for how their self-view appears in a meeting layout, including:
- In-grid cropped (default)
- In-grid uncropped
- Floating uncropped above the grid
To change between the options:
- Point to the floating self-view box
to change the self-view to in-grid.
- (Optional) To alternate between a cropped and uncropped version of an in-grid self-view, click Crop
to shrink your tile and Uncrop
to expand it.
Tile size is dependent on multiple factors including window size, so a tile may appear differently on different users’ layouts. When a user’s self-view is cropped, it is possible that some users might see more of that user’s video. If users wish to ensure that they can see everything that could possibly be visible to others, they can choose one of the uncropped self-view options.
- (Optional) To go back to a floating self-view, point to your self-view box
.
Your user’s self-view option is saved for future meetings.
Ensure good framing
Your users are now automatically framed by default. Users with a custom background are continuously framed, even if they move around during the call. Users not using a custom background are framed once they join a call.
Occasionally, users can appear out of frame. To ensure everyone looks their best in meetings, it is strongly recommended that users turn on automatic framing.
Turn automatic framing on or off:
- In a meeting, at the bottom, click More options
.
- Click Appearance.
- Scroll down and, for Framing, click Turn on
or Turn off
.
To reframe your video:
- Point to your self-view tile.
- Click Reframe
.
If a user has a virtual background, automatic framing is continuous and they don’t have a reframe option.
Prevent tile from being cropped
Some users (especially those who communicate with sign language) might prefer that their own self-view is never cropped into a portrait tile. To prevent a tile from being cropped:
- In a meeting, point to the floating self-view box
.
- Click Show full video
Your user’s option is saved for future meetings.
Uncrop other users
Some call participants can occasionally be cropped out of view if they move around a lot after they’re framed. To uncrop a tile and get the participant back in view:
- Point to the participant’s tile
- Click Show full video
When a user uncrops a participant, it only changes that participant in the user's own layout.
Increase pinned participants
Users can now have up to 6 pinned participants in their grid layout. Changes users make to pinned participants only affect their own layout.
About Dynamic tiles in rooms with Meet hardware
If there is more than one user in a meeting room with Meet hardware, they can now be split into separate tiles on the meeting screen. This feature, called Dynamic tiles, will make it easier to see and interact with everyone in hybrid meetings. You or another admin can turn Dynamic tiles on for devices that you already provisioned. If you provision a device after the feature is generally available, Dynamic tiles is the default framing strategy.
- Dynamic tiles works for up to 3 in-room participants. If a fourth participant is detected in the room, Dynamic tiles will automatically collapse back into a room view. Additionally, if participants are too close together or there is too much movement detected, Dynamic tiles will automatically go back to a room view as well.
- Dynamic tiles works best in smaller rooms where users are sitting no more than 10 feet from the camera.
- If a device supports Dynamic tiles, it will automatically set this option as its default framing strategy during setup. However, as soon as the device is set up, you or another admin can change the setting to a different framing strategy option.
- Dynamic tiles is available on all ChromeOS devices. We expect to support AOSP-based devices in the future.
- In a room with glass walls with other people walking by, Dynamic tiles might detect someone outside of the room. If this happens, to reduce distractions, users can turn the feature off using the device touch controller or the meeting settings.
Turn Dynamic tiles on or off
You can turn Dynamic tiles on or off by default. However, users can always manually turn it on or off on a device. Test the feature first in different room types before turning it on for all devices.
For step-by-step instructions on modifying Dynamic tiles defaults, go to Set default camera framing for meeting rooms.
You can turn Dynamic tiles on or off by default. However, users can always manually turn it on or off on a device.
About Face match with Dynamic tiles
If a Meet hardware device has Room Check-in and Dynamic tiles on, in-room participants can identify themselves so their video tiles display their names instead of the room name.
To use Face match:
- Users need to check in to the meeting.
- In the meeting room, click Use Companion mode and select the conference room.
- Each user needs to match their face to one in the room. When a user selects their image, it displays their name on their personal tile in the room.
Each user’s face needs to be visible to the camera in the conference room. If a face is obstructed during the meeting, the face is no longer matched and the user gets a “Meet lost track of you” error message.
The Face match model runs entirely on the device to associate a user’s face with their Dynamic tile. The model is capable of face detection only, not face recognition.
Related topic
Change the layout of meeting participants in a Meet hardware room
