Video chat using your Chromebook

On Chromebook Plus, when an app is using the camera or microphone, the shelf shows additional quick settings. You can turn the camera and microphone on and off when you select their icons. You can access additional features when you open the video call panel when you select Expansion . There, you'll find these features:

• Privacy controls: Easily turn off camera and mic with one click.
• Privacy indicators: See what apps are accessing your mic, camera, or screen.
• Return to tab: With a single click, you can go back to any tab or app that's actively accessing your camera mic or screen.
• Background blur: Detects you and blurs everything else with a light or heavy blur.
• Improve lighting: Detects the level of light and evens out lighting on you and your environment.
• Appearance effects: Improves the evenness of lighting on the face and subtly touches up the appearance of under-eye shadows and blemishes. Optionally, you can enable or disable “Improve Lighting” and “Portrait Touch-up” independently. At the top right of the video call panel, select the Dropdown Settings .
• Studio-style mic: Combines noise cancellation (removing sound that isn't speech) and AI-based audio enhancement for a more balanced and detailed sound across low to high frequencies.
• Camera framing: If your Chromebook has a wide-angle camera, this feature centers the camera and zooms in on you. To reset or to re-frame the subject, select the button again.
• Mute nudge: You’ll get notified if you talk while the mic is muted when you use certain apps, like video chat apps. This preference is synced across all of your devices.
  • To turn on "Mute nudge," you need to opt in. Audio never leaves the device.
• Mic test: Use this to check your microphone's audio input and playback the captured audio in real-time.
• Mic indicator: It shows the volume level of the captured microphone audio, which ensures it’s suitable for your video call.

To use Mic test and Mic indicator:

1. On your Chromebook Plus, open the video call panel.
   • When an app uses a camera or microphone, you can find the video call panel.
2. To hear a real-time playback of your audio, at the top right, select Mic test .
3. To help you know how loud you actually sound, check the Mic indicator .

You can use AI to generate background for your video chats.

1. On your Chromebook Plus, open the video call panel.
2. Select Image Create with AI .
3. Under “Create with AI,” you can:
   • Select a theme you like.
   • Select the underlined words to change to your preference.
4. Select the generated image you like to apply as your background.
   • Your most recently used images are available under "Create with AI" and on your video call panel.

You can start face-to-face video calls with Google Meet from your Calendar, Gmail, Microsoft Outlook, or the web browser.

Learn how to start a Google Meet video meeting.

To chat with Duo, you must install the app and verify your phone number.

Learn how to set up Duo on a Chromebook.

Download the Zoom progressive web app from the Google Play Store.

To learn how to use Microsoft Teams on your web browser, visit the Teams Help Center.