Get the most out of your Microsoft Teams subscription

Microsoft Teams is a next/generation calling and meeting platform built on the Microsoft 365 cloud, and that was originally meant to replace Skype. However, it transcended Skype’s nature by combining workplace chat, meetings, notes, attachments, and more, for an intuitive collaborative experience.   

As per usual, Microsoft made several innovations for the Microsoft Teams subscription during August and September. This month marks the availability of collaborative annotations in meetings, improved front-row experience in Teams rooms, intelligent chat translation for mobile, and much more. Keep reading to discover how to get the most out of your Microsoft Teams subscription with the newest releases.  

New additions in August-September 2022 for your Microsoft Teams subscription

Microsoft Teams Performance

Optimization for Apple silicon – Microsoft optimized the Teams app for Mac computers with Apple silicon, having as a result a boost in performance, a more efficient use of device resources, and an optimized experience even when using multiple high-resolution monitors during calls/meetings. 

Meetings

Cameo in PowerPoint Live – This new experience seamlessly integrates your Teams camera feed into your presentation, adding to the immersive remote presentation that PowerPoint Live gives. 

Collaborative annotations in meetings – This new feature is powered by Microsoft Whiteboard. It lets all attendants in the meeting quickly annotate whatever screen is being shared. The person that is sharing their full screen needs to select Start annotation. 

Language interpretation – This allows language interpreters to translate what the speaker says into another language in real time, without disrupting the flow of the speaker. 

Select Together Mode for everyone in a meeting – Now, organizers and presenters can select Together mode for everyone in the meeting to have the same view. 

Automatically created transcription during recordings – If IT admins enable transcriptions for the organization, organizers can set the Record automatically option and the transcription will start as soon as the meeting starts. 

Convert a Word/PDF form/quiz to Microsoft Forms with one click – By simply uploading a PDF/Word document directly to Microsoft Forms you will be ready to collect responses. 

Calling

Music on hold – It is now available for calls placed on hold for a call transfer. 

Early media support for compliance recording – If you are enabled for compliance recording, busy tones, ring back status, and IVR greetings with menu options will now be part of the recording. 

Block inbound federated VoIP calls – Now you can reduce interruptions by blocking inbound VoIP calls from outside your organization. 

Devices

Front row experience update – This experience has been updated on Windows devices to maximize content space by reducing the video and top bar. You can choose between single and dual display mode. 

Join meetings using meeting ID – You can join meetings directly from Teams Rooms on Windows devices using an ID and passcode, like the desktop feature. 

Chat and Collaboration

Choose preferred download location for files – You can select the default download location where you want your downloaded files on the Teams desktop app. 

Intelligent chat message translation – Teams ask if you want a text to be translated to your preferred language on iOS and Android devices. 

Read all the new additions in the full Microsoft article, here. 

To learn more about future Microsoft Teams innovations, don’t miss the Microsoft Ignite conference (October 12th – 14th).  

If you are already using Teams, check out for yourself these newest additions. If you are not yet a Microsoft customer, do not hesitate to contact our licensing experts for assisted purchases. On the other hand, if you already are a Microsoft customer and need help deploying Teams, contact our sister organization, Team Venti.