At BSC Solutions Group, we keep a close eye on trends and innovations in technology, and any step in a new direction can be cause for excitement. After the pandemic confined people to their homes, Microsoft Teams rose in popularity, connecting remote employees and students and hosting all types of meetings
In January 2022, Microsoft announced a number of new features that make this product all the more user-friendly.
New Mute Button
Microsoft Teams 2022 has introduced a new shortcut to allow users to unmute themselves after muting themselves quickly. It will save others from the disturbance of sudden and loud background noise.
To unmute yourself, now all you need to do is hold down the Ctrl+Space keys on Windows or Option+Space keys on macOS. You can mute yourself again by releasing the keys. In this feature, staying muted is the default. You can disable the shortcut in Teams Settings > Privacy.
This feature is useful when you know that you may get asked to respond quickly and for a short time. In such instances, using the mute and unmute sign on the application takes some time and creates a lag in the discussion.
Custom Backgrounds
Although Teams has been offering custom backgrounds for a while, the web did not have this facility. In the month of January, Teams introduced custom backgrounds for the web. It allows you to blur your background or choose one of Microsoft’s backgrounds.
Music Mode
A further introduction is a music mode for Microsoft Teams 2022. The high-fidelity music mode will now enable you to share non-speech content. It will be useful in sharing music from other applications. To enable this feature, you can click on the music note icon.
Mirror-my-video
A new mirror-my-video feature is most beneficial for anyone who uses whiteboards or virtual backgrounds with text for teaching or demonstration purposes. Earlier, the hosts would see the text flipped on their screens. This new feature will enable them to see the text correctly. To activate this feature, you need to go to the device settings and click on Mirror my video.
Front Row Layout
As the world is now slowly moving to a hybrid model of work, Microsoft Teams 2022 has introduced a Front Row layout to enable meetings in this setting. This mode will show the remote attendees of a meeting at eye level. It will also bring the chat and participants with raised hands to the front of the room screen.
Teams Rooms
Now Teams Rooms has a new Teams calling app where peer-to-peer and group-calling functionality is bundled under the “call” icon. There is no longer a need to start a new meeting for this purpose. A new “Meet” entry on the desktop app allows you to invite others
If your organization has compliance requirements, Teams Rooms on Windows now supports Azure Active Directory (AAD) device-based conditional access controls.
To Wrap Up
With these new updates, Microsoft is set to become even more efficient and user-friendly. Each of these updates is leading towards more intuitive functioning and a remote-work-friendly model. As the pandemic rolls along and hybrid work appears here to stay, a platform like Microsoft Teams 2022 that keeps up with the times, is a tool you won’t want to be without.
At BSC Solutions Group, we offer assistance with Microsoft Teams setup, training and ongoing support. Get in touch today if you’re interested in making Teams an integral part of your organization’s communications solution.
