While we’re probably past the peak of video calling, with the COVID-19 pandemic forcing people to use the medium, it’s still an important way to communicate with others. So, in its infinite wisdom, WhatsApp has decided to add filters and backgrounds to video calls.
WhatsApp Adds Filters and Backgrounds for Video Calls
In a post on the WhatsApp Blog, WhatsApp has announced that filters and backgrounds are coming to video calls. Filters will change the way people see you on the call, while backgrounds will, as the name suggests, change the background to something other than your own reality.
At launch, there are 10 filters and 10 backgrounds to choose from. The filters are Warm, Cool, Black & White, Light Leak, Dreamy, Prism Light, Fisheye, Vintage TV, Frosted Glass, and Duo Tone. The backgrounds are Living room, Office, Café, Pebbles, Foodie, Smoosh, Beach, Sunset, Celebration, and Forest.
In addition to the filters and backgrounds, WhatsApp is adding Touch Up and Low Light options. These can be used to enhance your environment, changing what other people on the call can see. The idea being to make you feel more confident and comfortable about being on video.
These effects will become available to everyone using WhatsApp over the next few weeks, so, if you’re interested, be sure to keep WhatsApp updated. Once they arrive, just look for the effects icons in the top-right of the screen while on a call to access the new filters and backgrounds.
These May Sound Good, but You Shouldn’t Use Them
WhatsApp suggests that it has added these filters and backgrounds as conversations on the platform should always be “fun and expressive”. The company also claims that they add “a more personal touch” and create “a more playful atmosphere”. But I question whether that’s an accurate assessment.
Maybe it’s because I’m old and crotchety, but I tend to find the use of filters and backgrounds in video calls rather annoying. We know you’re not sitting behind frosted glass or calling from the past when everything was black and white. And we know you’re sitting in your drab office rather than on a beach or in a café. So, just stop already.
In addition to the above, WhatsApp feels a little late to the party here. Most video calling platforms, such as Zoom and Google Meet, have allowed you to change your background or add a filter for several years, with most racing to add features at the height of the COVID pandemic. But WhatsApp has, rather bizarrely, waited until 2024 to do the same thing with WhatsApp video calling.
