Video quality isn't consistent on Google Meets

Paige Haynes 0 Reputation points
2026-08-12T22:47:14.2766667+00:00

Purchased my Surface Pro 12 1st gen in December 2025. During Google Meet client calls my video repeatedly freezes while the audio continues. Doesn't happen with Zoom.

I'm required to use virtual stock-image background and/or blur. turning the camera off and back on sometimes restores it but not right away. Or I'll do that then it will continue to do the same thing.

Surface | Surface Pro | Sound and camera

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  1. S.Sengupta 31,936 Reputation points MVP Volunteer Moderator
    2026-08-13T00:07:42.2066667+00:00

    your Surface Pro 12 (2025, Snapdragon X Plus) is a Copilot+ PC with Windows Studio Effects — an OS-level, NPU-accelerated camera pipeline that applies its own background blur/effects before the video feed even reaches the browser. When Google Meet's own browser-based background blur tries to run a second AI segmentation pass on top of that already-processed feed, you get exactly your symptom: double AI processing on the camera stream, video stalls under load, audio (a separate pipeline) keeps going, and toggling the camera briefly resets the pipeline before it clogs again.

    Zoom's native desktop app handles its virtual background differently (its own capture pipeline, less reliant on browser WebGL/WASM), which is why it doesn't show the same conflict.

    My suggestion-Turn off Windows Studio Effects for the camera

    Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Cameras > Front Camera. Turn off Background effects (and Eye contact/Auto framing if on) here. Let Google Meet's own blur/background do the work instead of double-processing the same frame twice.

    Update Surface drivers and firmware

    Open Windows Update > Advanced options > Optional updates, and separately check the Surface app for firmware. Snapdragon X camera/NPU driver stacks have had several fixes through 2026 specifically around Studio Effects conflicts with third-party apps.

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  2. AI answer

    2026-08-12T22:47:37.6433333+00:00

    Since Zoom works but Google Meet freezes video while audio continues, the likely factors are camera/graphics driver state, power mode, app-specific behavior, and workload from blur or virtual background.

    Try this in order:

    1. Install all Surface, Windows, and driver updates
      • Go to Start > Settings > Windows Update > Check for updates.
      • If View optional updates appears, check for camera or graphics-related updates.
      • Restart after updates complete.
      • Surface guidance specifically recommends keeping graphics drivers, camera drivers, and firmware current for video conferencing.
    2. Use a higher performance power setting during Meet calls
      • Connect the Surface to AC power.
      • On Windows 11, set power mode to Better Performance or Best Performance.
      • Surface guidance notes that video conferencing optimizations are limited on battery and work best on AC power with a higher performance mode.
    3. Test the camera outside Google Meet
      • Open Start > Camera and confirm the preview stays stable.
      • If the camera works there and in Zoom, that points more strongly to a Google Meet workload/app issue rather than a full camera failure.
    4. Confirm camera access settings
      • Go to Start > Settings > Privacy & security > Camera.
      • Make sure Camera access and Let apps access your camera are On.
    5. Update the camera driver from Device Manager
      • Go to Start > Device Manager.
      • Expand Cameras.
      • Right-click the camera and select Update driver.
      • Select Search automatically for drivers.
      • Restart after the update.
    6. Do not uninstall the camera driver on this device model
      • For Windows Arm-based devices such as Surface Pro 12-inch (1st Edition), uninstalling camera drivers is specifically warned against.
      • If drivers are uninstalled on these devices, restoring them requires a full system reset.
    7. Force restart the Surface if the camera remains unstable
      • Select Start > Power > Shut down and wait briefly.
      • Then press and hold the power button for 20 seconds. If the logo appears after a few seconds, keep holding until it appears again.
    8. Use Surface diagnostics
      • Run the automated camera troubleshooter in Get Help.
      • Also open the Surface app and check Help & support for update status and detected issues.

    What the symptoms suggest:

    • Microsoft guidance for video issues notes that poor network conditions and heavy load on the sender or receiver environment can reduce video quality.
    • On Surface, Microsoft also recommends the latest Teams/graphics/camera updates and higher performance power settings for conferencing workloads.
    • Because the problem appears in Meet and not Zoom, the required blur/virtual background likely increases processing load enough to expose a driver, power, or app-specific issue.

    If the camera preview is stable in the Windows Camera app and Zoom, but freezes only in Google Meet after completing the steps above, the supported conclusion is that the Surface camera hardware is likely functioning and the issue is isolated to that app/workload combination.

    References:

    AI-generated content may be incorrect. Read our transparency notes for more information.

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