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Posts tagged "feature"

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Microsoft Teams isn’t adding this terrible feature just yet
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Video call users around the world may have breathed a big sigh of relief after the launch of filters for Microsoft Teams has been delayed.

The company had been working on a new feature for its online collaboration platform that would have allowed users to customize their appearance before joining a video conferencing call.

The tool was set for launch sometime in 2021, but its Microsoft 365 roadmap entry, simply entitled “Microsoft Teams: Video filters” now shows a release date of March 2022.

Lights, camera, filters

The roadmap entry explains that Teams users will soon gain access to a number of different video filters, which will give them the ability to dial up and down certain aspects of their feed.

“Before joining a meeting, you can use filters to subtly adjust lighting levels and smooth out facial features to customize your appearance,” wrote Microsoft.

The company first announced its intention to introduce Microsoft Teams video filters in summer last year, before then targeting an August 2021 release window until today's update.

It added that the feature could prove useful to a range of users, especially those working out of a dimly lit home office or using a poor-quality webcam.

Filters are also already present in competing offerings such as Google Meet, which recently revealed a new settings panel to help both you and your workspace look the best you can when joining video calls.

With Google Meet's new settings panel, users will be able to quickly access effects such as background blur, background images and styles before and during a video call.

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Microsoft 365 is seriously late to the party with this important hybrid working feature
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Avoiding embarrassing meeting snafus could soon be a lot easier thanks to a long-awaited new update from Microsoft 365.

The software suite has revealed that users will finally be able to specify where and how they will be attending meetings using its Outlook email service.

Going forward, Outlook users will now be able to specify whether they will attend a meeting in-person or online.

Outlook RSVP

Microsoft says this feature will be useful not just for the workers, but also for those planning meetings, who can best prepare by booking a room with video conferencing resources or bringing an external speaker.

The update was first revealed back in September 2021 as part of a larger hybrid working push by Microsoft, but the company has now said the tool is finally set to begin rolling out soon. It is marked as general availability, meaning all Outlook and Exchange users should be able to access it upon release.

The update comes a number of weeks after Google announced an identical feature for Gmail, as Google Calendar users are now able to specify whether they will be attending a meeting either virtually or in-person in their email RSVP.

The function had initially been added to Google Calendar back in July 2021 during the initial hybrid working peak, with Google noting this would, “help meeting attendees know what to expect when joining a meeting, and prepare accordingly.”

Ironically given today's news, Google's RSVP options are not shared with contacts on other platforms, such as Microsoft Outlook.

Google Calendar also recently launched a “Focus time” feature that allows users to block out periods of time where they can avoid meetings and get their heads down for actual work.

Setting such a marker in your Google Calendar will also allow users to automatically decline meetings, meaning no last-minute rush to finish off work.

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Zoom is finally adding this essential feature on Windows and macOS
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The days of having to update your video conferencing software before joining a call are over as Zoom has announced that its bringing automatic updates to its Windows and macOS clients.

Not only do updates provide new features and functionality but they are also used to patch software bugs and other vulnerabilities that can be exploited by hackers to launch cyberattacks and infect your devices with malware.

Just like with other software companies, Zoom routinely releases updates for its desktop clients and mobile apps. However, not all of these updates are installed by end users which can put their devices and data at risk.

For this reason, Zoom is now rolling out a new automatic update feature for its Windows and macOS clients to ensure that everyone is running the latest version of its software before starting a call.

Enabling automatic updates

According to a new blog post from Zoom, in order to turn on automatic updates in its Windows or macOS clients, you'll first need to open the software's Settings menu, head to the General tab and select the “Automatically keep my Zoom up to date” option.

From here, you'll be prompted to enter admin credentials to allow the company's automatic update feature permission to run but this will only be required when enabling this setting for the first time.

Going forward, when a new version of Zoom is available and you're not already in a video call, you will be prompted to install the update. If you ignore this prompt, don't worry as the update will be installed automatically the next time you restart your Zoom client.

If you're not keen on receiving frequent updates, the “Slow” option is selected by default which focuses on maximum stability instead of giving you access to the latest features. Power users though can enable the “Fast” option which will let you download and install the latest features and updates as soon as they become available. It's also worth noting that critical security updates are pushed out by Zoom to everyone regardless of which option they've selected.

While some end users will need to enable automatic updates by themselves, if you're part of an organization that uses Zoom while working from home, your IT admin will need to enable this feature for you.

We've also rounded up the best video conferencing software and best online collaboration tools

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