For the best user experience, ensure laptop/desktop computers meet these minimum requirements:
- CPU — Intel Core i5 (with 4 cores or higher) or Apple Silicon M1 (or higher)
- 8 GB RAM (or more)
- Dedicated GPU (for example, NVIDIA)
Some operating systems may offer multiple battery settings or modes to conserve energy (for example, to extend laptop battery life) by throttling CPU performance. This may result in suboptimal transformer performance and introduce unwanted audio or video artifacts. We recommend setting your operating system to use the best performance mode (or not to use low-power mode) in such cases.
Many video transformations (such as background blur) use segmentation to separate the speaker from the background. For best results, use proper lighting and a plain background. Insufficient lighting or complex backgrounds may cause video artifacts (for example, the speaker or a hat the speaker is wearing may get blurred along with the background).
Supported Browsers
Virtual Background (Voange) features are only supported in recent versions of Chrome, Electron, Opera, and Edge. They are not supported in other (non-Chromium-based) browsers or on iOS.
Our in-browser virtual background effect relies on the Insertable Streams for MediaStreamTrack pipeline (often called a “MediaProcessor” flow), which is Vonage's most recommended solution. Support is strongest on Chrome and Chromium-based browsers. Safari 18+ added support for this feature (in dedicated workers), and details still vary by version; Firefox does not fully support this API. For the most reliable experience, use a current Chromium browser; otherwise, use the native, system-level background features below.
References: Chrome for Developers: Insertable streams, MDN: MediaStreamTrackProcessor (limited availability), Can I use: MediaStreamTrackProcessor.
iOS (iPhone & iPad) — Use built-in Portrait blur
Two quick ways to enable blur:
- During a FaceTime call: tap your tile → Portrait.
- From Control Center (works in many third-party apps): open Control Center → Video Effects / FaceTime Controls → toggle Portrait (and adjust intensity if available).
Official guides:
- Change FaceTime video settings on iPhone (Portrait)
-
Use video conferencing features on iPhone (Control Center → Video Effects)
Android — Use app-level background effects (and Samsung’s system effect)
-
All Android devices: use your meeting app’s built-in background features. For example, in Google Meet open Backgrounds & effects and choose Blur or a background.
- Official help: Change backgrounds & effects in Google Meet (Computer) — also documents performance considerations and graphics requirements.
-
Samsung Galaxy devices: enable Video call effects for system-wide blur/replacement across supported apps.
macOS — Use menu-bar Video effects (Portrait & Background)
On macOS, Apple provides system video effects that work in FaceTime and many third-party apps:
- Click the Video item in the menu bar during a call → enable Portrait (blur) or Background (native background replacement), and adjust intensity.
- Guide: Use video effects during a video call in FaceTime on Mac and Mac Help: Use video conferencing features on Mac.
Windows 11 — Use Windows Studio Effects(system-wide blur, framing, etc.)
On supported Windows 11 devices (typically Copilot+ PCs with an NPU), turn on Background effects (blur), Automatic framing, Eye contact, and more:
- Quick Settings: open the tray near the clock → Studio effects.
- Settings: Start → Settings → Bluetooth & devices → Cameras → select your camera → toggle Windows Studio Effects.
- Guides:
Tips for smoother performance
- Close heavy apps; keep your OS and browser updated; enable hardware/graphics acceleration where applicable (e.g., Chrome).
- Reference: Google Meet Help — requirements & performance notes.
- A problem has been identified with 2019 i9 MacBooks using Chrome Version 141.0.7390.66 (Official Build) (x86_64), though it may occur with other Chrome versions. When adjusting video settings in a video booth while graphics acceleration is enabled, the browser crashes and the UI becomes unresponsive. https://issues.chromium.org/issues/40125363
-
Use Chromium-based browsers for our in-browser effect; Safari 18+ support exists, but is newer and restricted to dedicated workers. Firefox lacks full support.
References: Chrome docs, MDN/“limited availability” & worker-only notes, Can I use.