Microsoft Teams Updates
Teams Third-Party Webhook Connectors
Connectors support in Microsoft Teams is transitioning to a new webhook URL format to enhance security. In the future, connector webhook URLs will contain the name of the tenant in them. Old URLs continue to work for now, but users will be prompted to re-create connectors. Microsoft has started transitioning to the new webhook URls. However, existing webhooks URLs will continue to work for three (3) months to allow for migration time.
Users with a Teams connector app will see a prompt to migrate to the new webhook URL configuration on the Connectors configuration page. Users who have configured connectors will need to undertake one of the following actions, depending on the type of connector:
- Recreate the connection by removing and then re-configuring the connector
- For incoming webhooks, first tap the Update URL button, then copy-paste the new URL to the third party source that is consuming the URL .After the new URL is generated, the "Update URL" button will disappear and you will see a message stating that the URL is up-to-date.
Meeting Chat Moderation Settings - February
Meeting options settings have been updated to allow an organizer to manage participants ability to chat prior to, during and after a meeting. Meeting organizers can set the Allow meeting chat setting within the Meeting options. There are three options for this setting:
- On (default): allows chat at any time
- Off: will make meeting chat read only and no one can send messages in chat including the organizer
- During the meeting only: participants can send messages during the meeting only and the organizer can send messages all the time
In addition, in 2021 Q1 Microsoft will be changing participants access to meeting chat. Access will be dependent on how the participant was invited to the meeting.
Who can see the chat for a single meeting?
- People who are invited to the meeting or forwarded the meeting invitation after it is scheduled have access to the chat before, during, and after the meeting (up to the 1000-person limit).
- People who are added to a meeting after it starts using the "Invite someone field" on the Participants pane (or are provided the meeting join coordinates in another way) will have access to the chat from the time they join to the time the meeting ends. They will not be able to see chat that takes place after the meeting ends.
Who can see the meeting chat for a recurring meeting series?
- People who are invited to the full series have access to the chat before, during, and after the meeting (up to the 1000-person limit).
- People who are forwarded the invite of a single occurrence of the series or added to a meeting after it starts using the "Invite someone field" on the Participants pane (or are provided the meeting coordinates in another way) have access to the chat from the time they join to the time that meeting instance ends. They will not be able to see chat that takes place after the meeting ends.
Note: These changes do not impact channel meetings.
Teams Native OS Notifications - December
You will now be able to choose your preferred means of Teams notifications delivery, either via the Teams built-in notification system or via your native OS notification system.
Teams Meeting, End of Meeting Notification - December
Teams will inform participants when there are five minutes remaining during any scheduled private or channel meeting. The notification will appear on screen for 10 seconds and disappear without any user action. This is an informational notification and will not automatically end the meeting.
Full Screen Mode - December
Full screen mode is now available for meetings. Once in a meeting, on the top navigation click on the (...) and select Full Screen. To exit Full Screen, click on the (...) and unselect Full Screen.
Transfer Teams meetings between devices - November
Teams meeting participants can transfer a meeting between a mobile device and a computer when they are logged in with the same account. In addition to being able to transfer a meeting between devices, meeting participants may add another device as a companion to their meeting.
To transfer a meeting from one device to another or add a companion device:
- Open Teams (mobile app or desktop app) on the second device
- On the banner advising that the meeting is in progress, select Join.
- Select Add this device or Transfer to this device
Teams Recordings Saved to OneDrive - November
Microsoft is changing the storage for new Teams meeting recordings to be stored on OneDrive instead of Microsoft Stream. Storing meeting recordings in OneDrive allows for better sharing capabilities.
iOS Teams app updates enhances mobile meetings - November
Microsoft is improving the Teams experience on iOS devices with a new presentation mode, the ability to see more participants, and the ability to see shared content and a spotlighted participant concurrently.
A scrollable participant tray makes it possible to see more participants The current default grid allows iPhone users to see up to 8 participants, and up to 9 participants on tablets, with the new scroll-able participant tray, phone users can see 15 participants, tablet users can see 20 more participants.
See your audience while presenting from phone and tablet. With this update, users can now see the both shared content and participant tray at the same time. In addition, we added visual indicator around video active speakers, and made name plate display more accessible. Side-by-side view of shared content + pinned/spotlighted participant. With this update, both shared content and pinned/spotlighted participant will be shown side by side.
Floating call controls for Android and iOS in Teams meeting - mid November
We are changing the behavior of the floating call controls in Teams meetings so that they will always be visible for Android and iOS phones and tablets. This feature makes it easier to access key controls such as mute/unmute. Users will no longer be able to dismiss floating call controls by tapping on the screen.
Microsoft Teams web app to no longer support IE 11 - November 30
After November 30, Microsoft Teams web app will no longer be supported for IE 11. Microsoft Edge, and newer versions or Chrome and Firefox will continue to be supported. In addition, users may install the Teams desktop client.
Breakout Rooms in Teams - mid-December (previously mid-November)
Breakout rooms allow meeting organizers to split main meetings into smaller sessions for focused discussions. Meeting organizers and participants must be using the latest Teams version and have the new meeting experience turned on.
Enabling New Meeting Experience
- In Teams, click on your profile image
- Select Settings
- In the General tab, check Turn on new meeting experience
- Restart Teams
Once you are in a meeting, as the meeting organizer you will the see the breakout rooms option. Meeting attendees and participants will not see the breakout rooms option
Prevent Attendees from Unmuting in Teams Meeting - November
Meeting organizers and presenters can now prevent attendees from unmuting themselves during a meeting. Before the meeting, the organizer will see a new setting on the meeting options page titled Allow attendees to unmute. This can be toggled before the meeting starts to ensure attendees cannot unmute themselves during the meeting.
By default Allow attendees to unmute is on. During the meeting, the organizer and any presenter will be able to change whether all attendees can unmute or not from the "…" menu at the top of the participant list. If an attendee needs to unmute, the attendee can raise their hand. An option to Allow to unmute will then appear when the organizer right-clicks on the attendee in the participant list or main meeting stage.
October New Features
These features require enabling the new feature setting in Teams:
- In Teams, click on your user profile
- Select Settings
- In the General tab, check Turn on new meeting experience (New meetings and calls will open in separate windows. Requires restarting Teams.)
- Restart Teams
Together Mode
Together Mode allows you to place all participants on a video call together in a virtual space, such as an auditorium, meeting room, or coffee bar, so they look like they're in the same place together. Switching to this mode replaces the traditional gallery view. To switch to this mode:
- During a meeting click on the three dots in the meeting options bar
- Select Together mode
Large Gallery View
This view is useful for large meetings. It allows you to switch from the default 3x3 view of video participants to 7x7. To switch to this feature:
- During a meeting click on the three dots in the meeting options bar
- Select Large gallery
New attendee audio option for meetings
Meeting organizers can now disable attendee mics to prevent them from unmuting during a meeting. In Meeting options, go to Allow attendees to unmute and switch the toggle to Yes.
Take a peek at your meetings
View meeting details from your calendar without opening the meeting. All you need to do is hover your cursor over the event in your calendar and a brief summary of details will pop up for you to read.
Upcoming New Teams Features - May 19
Microsoft will be releasing an update for Teams in June. An update will be posted when these features become available:
- Multi-window meetings and calling that allows pop out meetings and callings into separate windows to help optimize workflow.
- Meeting and call controls such as mute, video, chat, leave and others will now be located at the top of the meeting window so that they are always available and do not block the underlying content.
- Additional features include: 3x3 video, raise hands, and custom backgrounds
Learn more about Teams and Teams and Zoom Comparison
New Teams Meeting Experience Preview
Enabling New Features
These features will roll-out in the OFF setting by default, when available, users will be able to turn on these features by following these steps:
- Click on your initials or profile image on the top right
- Click Settings
- Go to the General tab
- Select Turn on new meetings and calling experiences.
