Zoom Update Adds ‘Raise Hand’, ‘Thumbs Up’ Gesture on iPad, Focus Mode, Mobile to Desktop Call Switching, More

Zoom has added some new options with its newest replace this week for desktop, iPad, and Zoom Telephone. These embrace a brand new Focus Mode, the flexibility to switch conferences from cell to desktop, limiting screen-sharing for conferences with exterior individuals, and computerized reactions from gesture recognition for iPad customers, who can now use ‘Elevate Hand’ and ‘Thumbs Up’ response to make the video name really feel extra natural. The feature-rich replace additionally brings chat sidebar enhancements in addition to a brand new admin expertise.

To enhance the video-calling expertise, which is able to seemingly stay essential for the foreseeable future, Zoom has added a number of new options with its newest replace. Focus Mode has been designed with educators in thoughts and permits individuals to solely be capable to see themselves, the host/ co-hosts, and the content material they’re sharing. Hosts and co-hosts may select to view all of the individuals concurrently in a gallery view.

Zoom customers can now additionally switch their calls from desktop to cellphones and again with out disconnecting. Admins can now apply restrictions to particular customers or teams to cease them from screen-sharing when a participant joins a gathering as a ‘visitor’. Customers will nonetheless be capable to share their screens when there are not any visitor individuals.

iPad customers can now make use of recent gestures like ‘Elevate Hand’ and ‘Thumbs Up’ throughout a Zoom name. The Elevate Hand digital gesture exhibits an icon in your window — seen to different individuals — indicating that you’ve got a query or one thing to share and that you have to be unmuted.

The Zoom Chat sidebar modifications embrace markers that establish if a channel is personal or public. It now exhibits fewer chats and channels per group. The chat sidebar could be expanded to see extra channels and chats.

When it comes to Zoom Telephone updates, these with shared strains can allow a privateness function that stops others from barging, listening, taking on a name, choosing up a held name, or whispering. This function requires shopper model 5.7.6 or larger and won’t work with desk telephones. Admins will now be capable to see extra metrics related to name queues — they’ll view the highest 10 extensions by name utilization akin to inbound, outbound, and inner calls, or particulars on minutes utilization.