What you need to know
- Microsoft Teams received several new features in November 2022.
- The app now supports scheduling messages, instant polls for meetings, and filtering the activity feed to only show unread messages.
- Microsoft also added capabilities to enhance calling, chatting, and meetings through Teams.
Microsoft Teams is used by hundreds of millions of people each month for video calls, chats, and meetings. The app is regularly updated across platforms and plans to improve over time. Each month, Microsoft gathers together everything that’s new for Teams. Here’s everything new from Microsoft Teams from November 2022.
Meetings
- Use a 1-click Instant Poll for a quick check-in during Teams meetings
- Support PSTN dial-in, dial-out, and call-me attendees in meetings to join Breakout Rooms
- Automatically view up to 49 videos (7×7) in Teams meeting
- Modern meeting experience on the web
Teams added several capabilities for meetings in November. It’s now possible to add a 1-click poll to receive instant feedback from attendees. The feature shows a single poll with two options and is designed to increase and measure engagement. For example, a presenter could ask if everyone approves of an upcoming plan and then see “yes” and “no” responses.
Until recently, Teams would only show a maximum of nine videos by default (in a 3×3 grid). Now, the service can show up to 49 videos automatically. Before the update, people would have had to click Large Gallery view to see that many attendees at once.
Calling
- Screen pop for incoming PSTN calls
- Transcription for calls on Microsoft Teams for AndroidÂ
A pair of tools shipped to Teams calls last month. Transcription for 1:1 calls is now available for Teams on Android.Â
Devices
- Microsoft Teams Rooms Companion Device Experience Enhancement
- Hot Desking in portrait mode for Teams Displays
- Licensing Updates
Microsoft optimized meetings that have in-room and remote participants. The app will now hide the video feeds of in-room participants from the front of room display. Before the update, the display would also show people that were in the same physical room as the device, which wasted screen space.
Teams also gained support for hot desking in portrait mode on Teams Displays.
Certified devices
Just a single certified device for Teams shipped this month, the Poly G7500. It’s a modular system for connecting peripherals, such as cameras and microphones. The device is certified for large meetings rooms for Microsoft Teams on Android.
Chat & Collaboration
- Teams users can now accept or block a group chat invitation from an unmanaged user
- Schedule send
- Start a Teams Chat with Distribution Groups, Mail-enabled Security Groups, and Office 365 Groups
- Click on search message results to view the entire chat conversation history
- Unread toggle
- Upload documents form OneDrive for Business in E-signature Approvals
Chatting is one of the core components of Teams, so Microsoft ships new features for it regularly. It’s now possible for users to accept or block group chat invitations from unmanaged users. This option was already available for direct messages.
People can schedule messages in Teams following its recent update. The feature allows users to delay messages to a different date or time that’s more convenient for the recipient.
Finding unread messages should be much easier now as well. The Teams activity feed now includes a toggle that can be used to only show unread messages.
Management
Only a single management feature rolled out to Teams last month. Admins can now manage the lifecycle of Surface Hubs as Teams devices through the Teams admin center. The feature supports “remote restart, download of logs, configuration of settings, and detailed device information”, as outlined by Microsoft.
Government
- Connectors in GCC
- Casting from Teams desktop client to Microsoft Teams Rooms in GCC-H
Teams users on government clients usually gain a lengthy list of features, but this month Microsoft only released two new capabilities. Teams Connectors are now available in government versions of Teams. These support webhook integrations, which let you send data from other services to Office 365.
Ad-hoc sessions now support casting from the Teams desktop client to a Teams Room.
