Microsoft Teams new features add end-to-end encryption option for 1: 1 VoIP calls

Microsoft Teams is getting several new features. On the first day of the Ignite conference, Microsoft introduced a new channel sharing feature called Teams Connect, multiple meeting modes, an improved webinar experience, and more. Another highlight is the introduction of end-to-end encryption (E2EE) for VoIP calls from 1: 1 ad hoc teams. Let's take a look at the announcements.

Teams Connect

This feature makes it easy for users to share channels with anyone, internal or external to their organization.

"In the shared workspace, you can leverage Teams rich collaboration capabilities: chat, meet, call, share and co-author documents in real-time. Admins have access to granular controls, allowing their organization to stay in control of how external users access data and information. Teams Connect is available today in private preview and will roll out broadly later this calendar year," Microsoft explained in a post.

Privacy

For privacy-conscious users, Microsoft Teams will soon support an option to use end-to-end encryption (E2EE) for 1: 1 ad hoc team VoIP calls. Microsoft says that IT will have full control over who can use E2EE in the organization for better compliance. Teams E2EE for 1: 1 VoIP calls will be available to business users in preview in the first half of this year.

Meetings

Microsoft introduced a dynamic view for Teams users. As users join in, turn on the video, and start talking, Teams automatically adjusts the screen and customizes the layout. The feature will be available soon.

There is a new view switch on the top bar of the Teams meeting. Allows users to control what they want to see in meeting content. Users can now easily switch between Together, Focus and Full-Screen Mode. It will also be very soon in Teams.

For meetings that require presentations, Teams will soon offer a presenter mode. For example, users can choose to display a video feed alongside their content. Another feature, called Standout, allows your video to be a silhouette in front of the shared content.

Webinars

For larger streams, Microsoft Teams will make it easier for users to host webinars. Users can set up a custom attendee registration page for the webinar to better manage attendance before the meeting. To make the joining experience easier, registered users automatically receive an email confirmation from joining the webinar. Within the webinars, there are more and different controls for the organizers.