Bad news – your Microsoft Teams calls are about to get a lot more interactive
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A new update to Microsoft Teams will mean that you’ll soon get to see a lot more of your colleagues, whether you like it or not.
The video conferencing platform is working on an “Interactive Large Gallery” upgrade that will mean your calls will now include feeds from even more people than ever before.
In its post (opens in new tab) on the official Microsoft 365 roadmap, the update description notes that user will soon be able to view up to 49 video participants at once – so you’d better get practising that “engaged smile” look.
Microsoft Teams calls get bigger
As well as being able to see more participants, the update will also mean that users can interact with others via actions like pin and spotlight, and observe their meeting activity like raise hand and reactions.
The update is still listed as being in development for now, but has a scheduled general availability date of September 2022, meaning users won’t have too long to wait.
When available, the update will be available for Microsoft Teams users across desktop and web.
The news is the latest upgrade from Microsoft Teams as it looks to ensure users around the world have all the tools they need to get the most out of its service.
This includes Together Mode, launched in the summer of 2020, which brings all attendees into a shared virtual background, with the goal of “making it feel like you’re sitting in the same soom with everyone else”.
The company also recently unveiled a series of new presenter modes designed to help Microsoft Teams users shape their presentation style to particular occasions, such as Standout Mode,which seats the presenter’s video feed in front of the slide deck, while Reporter Mode places content above the shoulder in the style of a news broadcast.
Microsoft has also announced it is working on adding Question and Answer capabilities to Teams webinars and meetings, bringing a whole new level of interactivity and collaboration.