Zoom today announced their latest updates and the tools needed to take communication and collaboration to the next level. This update includes new features and functionality such as the ability to enable language interpretation by default, Zoom Events Expo, and more!
Here are the highlights from the latest update:
Zoom Meetings
To streamline the setup of meetings and create an equitable meeting experience for everyone.
Enable language interpretation by default
Account owners and admins that would like to include interpreters in their meetings or webinars can enable the language interpretation feature by default when scheduling Zoom meetings to create a frictionless experience for all attendees, regardless of their native language.
Automated language support in the web client
The in-meeting user interface will display in the same language the web browser is set to streamline the meeting experience and reduce friction in the process of starting a meeting.
Add video to the Waiting Room
Meeting hosts can add a video when setting up the meeting Waiting Room in the web portal. Participants in the Waiting Room are able to view the video while they wait for the host to allow them into the meeting, providing a seamless method for distributing important information before the meeting begins. This feature requires client version 5.7.3 or higher and is available for all paid accounts.
Reset virtual backgrounds to default after each meeting
To automate the way users change virtual backgrounds and prevent sensitive information from being shared on them, admins can set a default virtual background that will automatically reset at the beginning of each meeting.
Enable or disable visual watermark during a meeting
To provide greater flexibility in managing recordings, meeting hosts have the ability to enable or disable the visual Watermark feature during a meeting. All meeting participants are required to be on the latest version of the Zoom desktop client before joining a meeting.
Zoom Rooms
Provide greater consistency in the user experience and enhance the hybrid work experience with these latest updates.
Support for Smart Gallery on Mac and Windows
Zoom Rooms Smart Gallery view displays multiple video feeds from a single conference room, enabling the Zoom Rooms camera to separate a room of participants and display these people in their own gallery space, greatly improving face to face communication with remote attendees. Zoom now offers support for Smart Gallery on both Mac and Windows and any certified USB camera. This helps organizations create a more equitable experience for hybrid and remote workers joining meetings hosted in on-site conference rooms.
New look and feel for Zoom Rooms Controllers
There is a new user interface on Zoom Rooms Controllers with the latest update of 5.9+ and is now consistent with the look and feel of the rest of Zoom Rooms and Zoom’s products.
Available today on most hardware devices.
Zoom Events
This brand new feature for Zoom Events helps bringing all attendees together, create new experiences, and build an unforgettable event experience!
Expo
Expo can help create more opportunities for live networking among attendees, speakers, and sponsors. On the virtual expo floor, they can move freely around the space, network with individuals through one-on-one chat, and join other participants in Expo booths for topic-based conversations.
Attendees also can interact with sponsors, engage in live conversation, and explore topics in a deeper way. Booth representatives or sponsors can host multiple simultaneous conversations in a booth, and attendees can preview those meetings before deciding to join.
Zoom Events Expo is a valuable solution for:
- Hosts looking to elevate the virtual experience
- Attendee networking and interaction
- Increasing sponsor engagement
- Virtual and hybrid events
Zoom Developer Platform
In this release, developers are provided with more ways to increase the discovery of their app on the marketplace and showcase the value their app can offer.
New categories and tags on the App Marketplace
To help app developers drive the discovery of their app and enable more Zoom customers to find apps that work with Zoom, the app categories have been updated on the App Marketplace, providing developers with eight new categories to map their app to when submitting details in the app build flow, while at the same time updating some existing categories.
Zoom Phone
There are new ways to easily bring more participants into phone conversations and to help ensuring that no call goes unanswered.
Add fourth party to a three-way phone call (beta)
Currently in beta, Zoom Phone users can now add four or more parties to the existing three-way calls to provide greater flexibility when starting a conference call. A caller can talk to the additional party before adding them to the conference to ensure they are ready to join. Participants will also receive a notification when the additional caller joins for enhanced transparency, and each participant of the conference can be individually dropped from the call by the conference initiator.
Alerts group call pickup members of missed calls
Customers need the ability to set up groups of users to handle incoming calls for each other when they are unavailable to help ensure no call goes unanswered. The group call pick-up feature has been adjusted to be more informative and less disruptive with a more subtle ringtone and a notification that informs group call member whether the call went to voicemail or one of their colleagues.