What’s New in Microsoft Teams | July 2022

How is it already time for the “What’s New in Teams” blog for July? Wow, summer is speeding by us quickly. This month, we are sharing the ways that Microsoft Teams updates and enhancements can make your meetings more collaborative. We are announcing new ways you can connect with anyone on your team and in their language. Also, have you heard about the new Teams Rooms on Windows updates? We have seven new additions for you. But I don’t want to share all the news at once, so keep reading and leave us a comment.

Meetings

Phone and Calling

Devices

Chat and Collaboration

Management

Security, Compliance, and Privacy

Teams for Education

Frontline Workers

Government

Meetings

Microsoft Forms enhancements in Teams meetings

Microsoft Teams now has an even stronger partnership with Microsoft Forms. Microsoft Forms is excited to introduce a number of new features and improvements to existing features within Teams meeting polls. Here’s a quick summary:

• We’re replacing the “Forms” app within Teams with a new app named “Polls”—making it much easier for people to find and add polls to their chats and meetings. You will be able to see the “Polls” app when searching in the Teams app store (via the side bar or top nav bar in the meeting) or from the message extension flyout menu.

• We’ve made UI improvements to the poll suggestions pane, including the ability to:
  o Re-position the list of suggested polls from the bottom to the side pane
  o Provide an entry point in the polls portal page, where users can show/hide the side pane as needed
  o Provide the poll results view (previously, it only showed the voting view), which allows the poll creator to see how the poll will look to the meeting audience after it’s launched

• You can now see a list of your recently created polls so that you can re-use your past polls created in new meetings and save time.

• A new poll animation appears after people have entered a response, providing a dynamic confirmation that their votes have been successfully submitted.

• We’re adding a new poll question type, Rating, which allows you to provide feedback by rating on the scaled symbols.

• We’ve improved the poll result view to be a more intuitive and easy-to-read experience, with enrichments such as color indication and dynamic results.

Phone and Calling

Remove a call from your history
Streamline your view with the ability to hide calls from your call history list on Teams for desktop and mobile.

Call recording announcement played in your default language
Call recording announcements will now be played in your default language for Teams calls to or from a phone number. Both parties will hear the announcement in the same language, at the same time, for both standard and compliance recording scenarios.

Common Area Phone license enhancements
The Common Area Phone offering has been enhanced to serve a wider variety of scenarios for customers without increasing the price. Learn more about how to set up Common Area Phones.

Security, endpoint management, and cloud-based voicemail features are available through the following service plans added to the Common Area Phone license:

• Azure Active Directory Premium Plan 1
• Microsoft Intune
• Exchange Online Plan 2 (cloud-based voicemail only)

You can verify within the admin center that a Common Area Phone license is activated for Azure Active Directory Premium Plan 1, Microsoft Intune, and Exchange Online Plan 2.

To enroll devices into Intune service, check the requirements at Configure Intune to enroll Teams Android-based devices. If you have auto-enrollment set up in the Microsoft Endpoint Manager admin center, and you do not want to auto-enroll your Teams device, you need to unassign the Intune license or set up a grouping structure that omits these devices from auto-enrollment.

In addition, the following calling features are available for supported Teams phone device models enabled with a Common Area Phone license and the latest Teams app update (minimum version – 1449/1.0.94.2022061702):

• Call park and retrieve
• Cloud-based voicemail through Exchange Online Plan 2
• Call queues
• Auto attendants
• Group call pickup
• Forwarding rules

To use the calling features on supported Teams phone device models, you need to enable the “Advanced Calling” setting in the Teams admin center or on your Teams phone device and sign in through your Common Area Phone account. Learn more about how to disable cloud-based voicemail from your devices. To access advanced capabilities, ensure that you purchase the right hardware models.

Spectralink Digital Enhanced Cordless Telecommunications (DECT) device integration with SIP Gateway
DECT devices from Spectralink have been integrated with SIP Gateway, allowing frontline workers to use Teams calling functionality on DECT devices to communicate with colleagues on the go. DECT device integration with SIP Gateway is available on the following compatible handset models from Spectralink:

• IP-DECT 200/400/6500/Virtual IP-DECT/IP-DECT Base Station
• Handsets 72xx/75xx/76xx/77xx

Learn more about planning for and configuring SIP Gateway in your organization.

Devices

Check out for Microsoft Teams panels
Using the new “Manage” button on a Teams panel, the reserved Teams Room can now be checked out of, or released, directly from the panel with the touch of a button. This functionality will end the room reservation and returns the room to the room inventory.

Extend room reservations for Microsoft Teams panels
Also through the new “Manage” button, a Teams Rooms reservation can be extended directly from the panel. The reservation can only be extended if the room is available during that time.

Peripherals: Camera on/off feature
Any Teams-certified peripheral device supporting the camera on/off feature now allows each user to more efficiently turn on or off their individual video in calls and meetings. Instead of fumbling with a mouse or keypad, users can quickly control their video with the simple click of a button on their device.

Certified devices

Logitech Tap IP (VR0029) 
The Logitech TAP IP is now certified for Microsoft Teams Rooms. Using the network-connected touch controller allows for easy meeting join via one-touch join and simple setup with a single power over ethernet cable. The Logitech Tap IP can be mounted using table and riser mounts that allow for 180-degree rotation or on the wall depending on the needs of the room. Learn more.

Logi Dock
Logi Dock is an all-in-one docking station that is now certified for Microsoft Teams. Logi Dock works smoothly with Teams and connects everything in one tidy unit, replacing the need for extra peripherals and eliminating a tangle of cables and wires. The device connects and charges up to five USB peripherals and up to two monitors, simplifying the home office setup so that users can work more productively.

Chat and Collaboration

LinkedIn integration
Use LinkedIn profiles, now integrated with Teams, to get to know your colleagues, connect directly and build deeper relationships. From Teams chat, channels, calls, or meetings, you will now be able to view your colleague’s LinkedIn profile, including their current role, past experiences, and other insights. Learn how to make the most of your LinkedIn integration.

Automatic groupings available for channel posts

When creating a message post in a team channel, users are now able to notify owners of the team all at once by mentioning “@Team Owners,” removing the need to mention team owners individually. “Team Owners” is automatically grouped and doesn’t require any manual maintenance.

Enhanced user experience on iPad 
Microsoft Teams on iPad is now more responsive to screen size, app orientation, and display modes. The Teams app bar and canvas will automatically align based on the screen size available to the Teams app.

Management

Bulk removal for individual policy assignments
Admins can clean up individual policy assignments from users in bulk so that those users can inherit the correct policy either via a group policy assignment or global organization-wide default. Individual policies are always prioritized, in order to clean those induvial policies and make sure that users are getting the correct policy we created this procedure to clean them all in one operation.

Security, compliance, and privacy

Export API support for Teams message reactions
The Teams Export API allows organizations to support Enterprise Information Archiving (EIA) for Teams to solve for retention, indexing, e-discovery, classification, and regulatory requirements. Teams Export API also will now support Teams reactions (heart, thumbs up, laugh, surprised, angry, sad) on a message using the Export API. This is in addition to Teams Messages (1:1 and group chat), attachments (file links and sticker), emojis, GIFs, and user @Mentions.

Teams for Education

Moodle Learning Management System integration
In addition to integration with Canvas and Blackboard, Microsoft has now partnered with Moodle Learning Management System to deliver seamless integrated learning experiences. Microsoft Teams Meetings LTI and Classes LTI apps are now available within Moodle.

For more information, see Set up and configure the Moodle plugin and Integrate Microsoft Teams classes and meetings with Moodle.

Frontline Workers

Easily deploy frontline teams at scale
Administrators can deploy up to 500 teams with 25 users per team using one PowerShell command. This enables your organization to roll out teams at scale within a day so your frontline workforce can collaborate and be productive across different stores, locations, and roles. You can use custom templates to set up teams that best fit your organization’s needs or leverage one of our default templates. Admins also can remove members from teams at scale from existing teams. Learn more about deploying frontline teams at scale.

Device Test for virtual appointments
Device Test allows virtual appointment users to validate and configure hardware components before joining an appointment through Microsoft Teams. Users will be able to validate camera, microphone, and browser compatibility, as well as the internet connection at any moment before the scheduled appointment start time. Benefits of Device Test include:

• Complete a full test call with Azure Communication Service
• Easy access to the troubleshooting guide
• Ability to share test results with appointment organizers

Learn more about device testing.

Virtual appointment SMS notifications for UK customers
Now UK customers can send and receive SMS confirmations and reminders with a Teams Meetings link for any virtual appointments that are created from the Bookings app in Teams. Learn more about SMS notifications.

Government

These features currently available to Microsoft commercial customers in multi-tenant cloud environments are now rolling out to customers in the US Government Community Cloud (GCC), US Government Community Cloud High (GCC-High), and/or United States Department of Defense (DoD).

Manage Meetings options for DoD 
Organizers are now able to modify the user experience or customize the safety and security settings for their Teams Meetings using the new “Meetings options” feature.

Large Gallery for Teams on VDI in government clouds
By default, Teams Meetings supports up to nine videos in Gallery. Now, using Large Gallery, users can view up to 49 videos at once in Meetings on virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI). This is available for GCC and GCCH.

Together Mode for Teams on VDI in government clouds
Together Mode lets you see all your colleagues against a shared background, making you feel like you are all together in a virtual online room. This is now available in Meetings on virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) for GCC and GCCH.