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Microsoft Teams is getting more hybrid work improvements and Apple CarPlay support

Microsoft Teams is getting more hybrid work improvements and Apple CarPlay support

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Microsoft continues to improve Teams for remote work

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Microsoft Teams with Apple CarPlay support.
Microsoft Teams with Apple CarPlay support.
Image: Microsoft

Microsoft is continuing to improve the remote meeting experience in Microsoft Teams with better camera support and other improvements that will let you stay in meetings 24/7, if you choose.

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 intelligent cameras. These cameras will be supplied by partners like Jabra, Neat, Poly, and Yealink and will enable AI-powered active speaker tracking, multiple video streams, and people recognition.

They’re the type of cameras that can actually deliver on some of Microsoft’s promises for the future of meetings, enabling cameras in meeting rooms to use audio, facial movements, and gestures to detect who’s in a room and speaking. These cameras are designed to improve and bridge the gap between remote and office meetings, as more and more businesses look to strike a balance between the two.

The updated companion mode for Teams mobile.
The updated companion mode for Teams mobile.
Image: Microsoft

Microsoft Teams on mobile is also being 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 next few months,” according to Microsoft.

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

New Cameo feature in PowerPoint.
New Cameo feature in PowerPoint.
Image: Microsoft

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

It’s not just Teams that’s getting meeting improvements, though. Microsoft is also bringing a new Cameo feature to PowerPoint that lets you integrate a Teams camera into your presentation slide deck. Cameo will start appearing in early 2022 and is designed with remote presentations in mind.