Microsoft have announced a large selection of new feature updates to Teams this month including updates for devices, meetings and phone system. I thought I would highlight some of the bigger updates announced.

Walkie Talkie App.

Microsoft announced an update on the Walkie Talkie app for Microsoft Teams. This means that frontline workers can communicate and collaborate seamlessly with anyone from anywhere across geographic locations. Not only is this available on dedicated push-to-talk devices from Zebra mobile devices but also on any iOS mobile device such as iPhones and iPads. Learn more.

Front Row View for Teams Rooms.

Front row layout for Teams Rooms is currently in preview. Microsoft state that it has been designed to enhance hybrid meetings and provide in-room participants with greater context of what is happening across various aspects of the meeting. With front row, remote attendees are seen in the room at eye level and additional meeting experiences including chat, and a rostered view of participants with raised hands, are brought to the front of room screen. Front row will be available in the layout chooser experience on the Teams Rooms console. It can also be set as the default layout or turned off altogether by device admins. Front row is available for all Teams Rooms on Windows, single and dual display modes, and across all display sizes. As this feature is still in public preview Microsoft expect to add further features later on in the year.

Transcription for 1:1 Calls

Users can now enable call transcription from the call settings within the call window.

1:1 VoIP and PSTN Call Recordings and Transcriptions Available in Call History

Call recordings and transcriptions now are available in the call details panels for both VoIP and PSTN calls, providing an easy way for you to reference recording and transcription from previous calls.

This small collection of features is simply a selection of some of those that I thought were rather important and the full list of features for January can be found on the Teams blog HERE.

I hope these little snippets have been helpful thank you for stopping by.