Microsoft Teams is one of the most popular online communication and collaboration tools, especially in work environments. Microsoft regularly updates it with new features to attract more customers and also publishes a monthly summary of all the features it has added to its software, similar to Excel. It has now revealed a detailed list of the many features and improvements added to Teams during May 2023.
Building on the meeting improvements, a very useful addition is Presenter View, which shows the active speaker and shared content in the center of the screen with other participants at the top. The active speaker’s video is shown in a higher resolution, and if someone toggles their videos on or off, the entire screen won’t redisplay. Other useful features include the ability to toggle profanity filters in real-time subtitles, organizer support for workgroups for VDI users, and avatars with customizable interactions. Microsoft is also enhancing the meeting experience with a new Summary tab, which displays notes, transcripts, and content shared during the meeting.
Moving on to the chat and collaboration improvements, we have the profile tab expanded. It’s similar to the profile card you see in other Microsoft 365 applications like Outlook, where it shows the person’s contact information, job title, LinkedIn profile, birthday, and more. Additionally, Teams users can schedule offline meetings such as lunch breaks, but they won’t contain a “Join meeting” button, chat threads, transcripts, or recordings. There’s also a new Notes tab when creating a standard channel, which we covered earlier as well. Finally, there’s an updated Files app based on OneDrive and with a more consistent and familiar design for Microsoft 365 customers.
On the Teams Phone front, authorized users can customize call queues and auto attendant greetings for various use cases. Meanwhile, organizations will be able to ensure compliance logging solutions integrated with Teams follow policy when calls are redirected. Additionally, administrators can configure a “busy on busy” setting on Teams Phone devices that allows them to manage how incoming calls are handled if a user is already in a conference call or has a call on hold. Importantly, Teams Phone users in the US and Canada can now set their emergency location in the Calls app.
In related news, Teams Rooms and Devices admins can better manage automatic firmware updates for Android devices through the Teams admin center and also pre-configure meeting layout controls for Teams Rooms on Android. The Redmond-based technology company is also making it easier for Cloud Video Interop (CVI) customers to join Teams Rooms meetings, as well as offering a more streamlined hotdesking experience based on QR codes and virtual front desks on Teams-certified displays. Several hardware components have now also been certified for Teams, namely Shure Microflex Advance MXA902, Jabra Evolve2 30 and 40 stereo headsets, and the EPOS Impact 1060 ANC/1060/1030 series of wireless business headsets.
There are also a couple of improvements in the IT and security domain. There’s a new widget for admins to quickly see their unspent Microsoft Azure consumption (MACC) commitment in the Teams admin center, and they can also block read access in chats for anonymous users.
In addition to the mobile improvements, we have a more detailed dashboard for the chat page and a Call Status panel for VDI and web customers to monitor and troubleshoot call quality. When it comes to platform improvements, Teams users can benefit from collaborative Stageview, Zero-touch app installation, and activity context-based app suggestions in select areas of Teams.
Of course, Teams Premium users haven’t been left out in the cold either. Customers of this more expensive version of Teams can take advantage of two-way incoming chat in virtual appointments and smart meeting summaries powered by AI. Finally, government users can now use Excel Live for GCCH and Teams Rooms on Android for GCC-H.
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