Microsoft Teams gets more hybrid work improvements and Apple CarPlay support

Microsoft continues to improve the remote meeting experience in Microsoft Teams with better camera support and other improvements that will allow you to stay in a meeting 24/7 if you want to.

After rolling out Together Mode last year and a vision for the future of meetings earlier this year, Microsoft Teams will soon be updated to support smart cameras. These cameras will be provided by partners such as Jabra, Neat, Poly and Yealink and will enable active speaker tracking powered by AI, multiple video feeds and people recognition.

These are the type of cameras that can actually deliver on some of Microsoft’s promises for the future of meetings, allowing cameras in meeting rooms to use audio, facial movements, and gestures to detect who’s in. a room and who speaks. These cameras are designed to enhance and bridge the gap between remote and office meetings as more companies seek to strike a balance between the two.

Image: Microsoft

Microsoft Teams on mobile is also updated to include quick access to chat, live reactions, and the Microsoft whiteboard. This updated companion mode will also include easier access to controls like mute or camera on / off and will be available “in the coming months,” according to Microsoft.

Speaker Coach, an AI-powered Teams feature that monitors your pace during meetings, arrives in early 2022, and automatic lighting fixes for Teams video meetings will appear in the coming months.

Microsoft is also bringing Microsoft Teams to Apple CarPlay this month, so you can participate in Teams calling while you drive. You’ll be able to join hands-free on-the-road calls using Siri, but it looks like you’ll only participate in audio mode to prevent the video from creating a distraction.

However, teams aren’t the only ones to benefit from improvements during meetings. Microsoft is also bringing a new Cameo feature to PowerPoint that lets you embed a Teams camera into your presentation slideshow. Cameo will begin appearing in early 2022 and is designed for remote presentations.