Microsoft Corporation's video conferencing application, Teams, receives new calling and experience updates for its mobile-based application on both iOS and Android that proves a great competition and direct rivalry to the popular Zoom Video Communications' app.
Forbes report new updates by the Microsoft Teams that is sure to rival the famous Zoom application, that grew its popularity amongst the global crisis brought upon by the Novel coronavirus.
Working from home or remote work is a set-up for most employees and businesses, and the means of contact moved from messages and e-mails to video conferencing to ensure efficiency and excellent communication. The Novel coronavirus or COVID-19 contributed to the promotion of remotely working and empowered video conferencing. However, Microsoft Teams is still widely available for personal and non-professional video-calling settings.
Microsoft Corporation's new updates, however, give its significant changes only to the smartphone platform. These new features enable mobile device users an array of technical aspects that complements the ease of use and functionality of the application.
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Microsoft Teams' August 2020 Updates and Enhancements
iOS Users
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Apple's iOS users get a more extensive enhancement of the grid-view for their mobile devices with iPhones getting to see eight participants at the same time with a new two by four (2x4) grid. On the other hand, iPad tablet users get a three by three (3x3) grid view that totals to nine persons appearing in a single page group.
The new update also minimizes the use of data by the app and reduces consumption while the video conference rolls-on. Microsoft also enabled an easy single sign-on capability that uses your Teams profile and organization credentials for bots and tools in the application.
Version 2.09 also enables users of the Apple devices a voice-generated assistant, Microsoft's Cortana to command the application to perform the following tasks: sending messages, answering and making calls, joining meetings, sharing files, and more. However, Microsoft notes that this is currently available for the United States region only and will soon apply to other countries.
Android Users
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Google's Android OS users can invite and generate free meetings for non-Teams users that boosts the application's reach and availability to non-users. Android users are also given the ability to search within the messages in groups, channels, or even private ones that gives an ease of usage to navigate the application. This feature is called the intelligent search to find documents and other files in the conversation.
Users of the platform are also able to upload images to their gallery and an enhanced 'Safe Key' setting for security. An organized new feel for the application will be seen by users with group dashboards to arrange the meeting and tools to use.
Direct competition for Zoom
Zoom's video conferencing application offers ease of usage to users, especially to those who are compelled to undergo video conferencing at all times. However, Microsoft challenges these advanced features with their new updates that can encourage users to switch their patronization.
Microsoft's soon-to-be update for the video conferencing platform is to enable a 49-user channel that can accommodate a large volume of participants. Teams also offer a 20,000 "view-only" participants and 1,00 interactive meetings. That is a massive number for a video call and directly challenges Zoom who has 100-maximum participants for its basic or free plan within 40 minutes. Zoom boasts of a paid program that can accommodate up to 500 users for an unlimited time.
Microsoft also plans to roll-out side-menu or side-bar that users can rearrange and customize for ease of use.
