Microsoft Teams' developers are pushing out major updates despite disruptions to schedules due to coronavirus. The app has received several new features on iOS and Android, some of which will prove incredibly useful.
On both platforms, participants can now turn on live captions during a meeting or group call. This should mean they'll be able to understand participants even if they're in a noisy environment or have their phone at a low volume.
Cellular callers also received some love, with the ability to view shared content when they join a meeting, while PSTN callers on hold will now hear music. You can view the full changelog for iOS below:
- “Turn on live captions during a meeting or group call
- View shared content when you join a meeting via a cellular phone call
- PSTN callers will hear music while they are on hold
- Get a link to channels to share with others
- Long press the app icon for a shortcut to make a call
- Get a tone and vibration alert for incoming calls while on a call
- Bug fixes and performance improvements”
Android did not receive all of the features iOS did in its latest patch, but it did get all the major ones:
- “Turn on live captions during a meeting or group call
- View shared content when you join a meeting via a cellular phone call
- PSTN callers will hear music while they are on hold
- Bug fixes and performance improvements”
All of this comes at a time when Microsoft Teams sees explosive growth in usage as people work from home due to the pandemic. It saw a 12 million increase in active users in the course of a week, to a total of 42 million. Its services have been provided to the NHS for free, and enterprises can currently get a 90-day free trial to tide them through this rough period. These additions are sure to be helpful to the new additions to Microsoft's family, alongside some healthcare-specific features coming soon.