Microsoft Teams is used by hundreds of millions of people each month, and the communication platform regularly receives new features. With Teams extending across several form factors and categories, it can be difficult to keep track of everything that’s added.
Luckily, Microsoft rounds up all the new features at the end of each month. In August, Teams gained new capabilities for end users and IT admins.
Now, Teams users can react to a message with multiple emojis, IT admins can upload custom dictionaries to Copilot in Teams, and meeting attendees have more options when making bookings.
Microsoft details all of the new features in a recent blog post. Here is everything that’s new plus some details about my favorite additions.
Chat and Collaboration
- Filter for messages with files in contextual search
- Search with SQL-like commands
- Customizable Keyboard Shortcuts
- Saved message view
- Multiple Emoji Reactions
Arguably the most useful addition when it comes to chatting is the ability to filter messages to show only those with attachments. Search results now show “file chiclets” as well, which are small previews of the file type and name of the item.
Support for customizing keyboard shortcuts is also a welcome change. You can now have Teams mimic the shortcuts of other platforms, such as Slack or Zoom, or you can make your own shortcuts.
By far the feature I’m most excited about is support for multiple emoji reactions. You can now react to a single message with multiple emojis. Slack has had this for ages, and we often use it in our chats at Windows Central. Finally, I can react with 💯 and 👍 to the same message in Teams.
Those who have followed my Teams coverage for a while will be familiar with my love for emojis. Teams added the option to customize emojis last year. I was also delighted when Snipping Tool added emojis.
Meetings, Webinars, and Town halls
- Personal meeting templates [Premium]
- Custom dictionaries now available to Copilot in Teams
- Meeting organizers can send messages to attendees in the lobby with lobby chat
- Edit your display name in Teams meetings
- Customize the screen in Teams Town halls through ‘Manage what attendees see’ [Premium]
- Immersive events, experience customization tools and presenter tools [Premium]
Teams now has templates to streamline the process of setting up meetings. You can choose settings for meeting access, Copilot, recording and transcription, and several other parts of a meeting. The feature requires a Teams Premium license.
Support for custom dictionaries allows IT admins to add specific terms used throughout an organization to Copilot in Teams. The AI tool can then produce better transcripts and meeting recaps.
A small but meaningful change to Teams is that the platform now supports editing a display name in meetings, which can be used to show a preferred name or a role. The change is meeting-specific.
Teams Phone
- Microsoft Shifts integration with Teams call queues
- Email notifications for phone number assignments
- Device sign-in support for non-touch models
Admins can now use the Shifts app in Teams to manage call routing to agents within call queues. After some setup, call queues can be configured to reference shift data, pull related shift information, and make sure calls are routed to people on shift.
Workplace: Places and Teams Rooms
- Book desks using maps [Premium]
- Book desks near colleagues [Premium]
- Book desks for partial days and multiple days [Premium]
- Book desks on behalf of others [Premium]
- Configure auto-release for no-show desk reservations
- Enhanced walk-up desk booking experience for users
- Configure new desk modes: reservable, drop-in, assigned, unavailable
- New Places built-in admin role support
- New Places admin dashboard
Several new options rolled out to Teams related to booking rooms and spaces. Premium users can now book desks using maps, book desks near colleagues, and book desks for part of a day or multiple days. It’s also possible to book a desk for someone else.
Admins can now set desks to one of four modes: Reservable, Drop-in, Assigned, and Unavailable.
Fundamentals and Security
- Microsoft Teams: Support Audit logs for Give and Take Control and Screen share
Frontline Worker Solutions
- New SharePoint Agent Integration in Teams Chats and Channels
- Deploy Frontline Teams in Teams Admin Center
SharePoint agents can pull information from a SharePoint library.
As of this month, it’s possible to add SharePoint agents to Teams channels. Group chats now support multiple agents — previously only one agent was supported.
Certified for Teams Devices
On top of all of the new Teams features, there are also several new Certified for Teams devices:
- EPOS IMPACT 100 MS Stereo and Mono USB-C+A headsets
- Logitech Rally Board 65 + Tap for Teams Rooms on Android (wired)
- Yealink MeetingBar A50 with Touch Panel CTP25
- Logitech Entry Level MeetUp 2 for Teams Rooms on Windows
Certified for Teams devices meet standards for quality, reliability, and compatibility with Teams. Microsoft considers audio and video quality, device management options, security, and other factors when certifying devices.
