Here’s our end-user focused catch up of updates for the fortnight 17th – 31st July 2021 across Microsoft 365.
Just a reminder to set the scene; these updates look at topics of interest to end users and anyone supporting them such as trainers, team/site owners and super users. Feel free to share this update with your colleagues at work.
Another quiet couple of weeks for end users, but we do have some great Teams updates. Here’s what we’ve got:
- Revised timelines
- Microsoft Stream: Viewing the transcript for a Microsoft Teams meeting recording
- New Side-by-side and Reporter Presenter modes with desktop and window sharing
- New default native notification setting for new Teams users
- Variable playback speed for Teams meeting recordings
- Outlook on the web – Project Moca migrating to Outlook board view
- Bite sized
Prefer the watch the video or listen to the podcast version? Just scroll to the bottom for the links.
Revised timelines
SharePoint | New release of scenario-based site templates – late August.
This new SharePoint release of scenario-based site templates will help you expand what’s possible with content, pages, and web parts while helping you quickly get started building your own site:
Teams | End-to-end encryption for Teams calling – late August to mid-September.
End-to-end encryption is the encryption of information at its origin and decryption at its intended destination without the ability for intermediate nodes to decrypt. Teams will support an option to use end-to-end encryption (E2EE) for ad hoc 1:1 Teams VoIP calls. To support customer security and compliance requirements, IT will have full control of who can use E2EE in the organisation:
Teams | Music Mode for Teams – late August to late September.
This new feature release can be used to transmit high fidelity music. Users will be able to conduct online music lessons, transmit music performances, or other non-speech content:
Teams | Microsoft Teams: New assignment experience in modal window for Breakout Rooms – early to late August.
Participant assignment is now moved from the Breakout Rooms’ right panel to a separate window that pops up when selecting Assign Participants:
SharePoint | SharePoint Events web part will display event images – late August.
The Events web part on SharePoint pages and news posts will have an option to show images:
Full updates
Teams
New Side-by-side and Reporter Presenter modes with desktop and window sharing – Currently, when using a Teams desktop app, presenters can connect to the Teams meetings and use Standout presenter mode when sharing screen. This release will allow presenters, while sharing a screen in Presenter modes, to be able to present in two new presentation layouts in an immersive experience alongside their content:
- Side-by-side. When a presenter selects Side-by-side mode, participants will see the presenter’s video feed and content overlaid on a background image:
2. Reporter mode. In Reporter mode, participants will see the presenter’s video feed superimposed over the background image while having the content over their shoulder, placed diagonally:
Meeting presenters:
- Can customise the background image before starting the presentation
- Can easily enable or disable the video feed during the presentation from the sharing bar
Due mid-August to mid-September on Microsoft Teams desktop app for both Windows and Mac.
New default native notification setting for new Teams users – The current default notification style for new users is Teams Built In. With this change the default Notification Style (specifically for new users) will change to operating system Native Notifications from Teams Built In. This will apply across Windows and Mac.
New users will be defaulted to receive Native Notifications (rather than Teams Built In) which provide a host of benefits like support for focus assist mode, notifications in action centre and OS improvements. You can choose to change your notification style in settings > notifications > notification style.
Existing users who have already set their default notification settings will not be affected. Microsoft expect this rollout to begin in late August and expect it to be completed by early September.
Variable playback speed for Teams meeting recordings – For Teams meeting recordings saved to OneDrive & SharePoint, you’ll be able to change the playback speed (0.5x – 2x) while watching the video. You will be able to accidentally on purpose miss a boring meeting, then catch up in half the time…awesome!
You will see an icon in the bottom right corner of Teams meeting recordings that opens the Playback speed menu. This menu contains options for slower speed (0.5x), normal speed (1x), and faster speed (1.2x, 1.5x, 1.8x, and 2.0x). The setting that a you choose will persist for the duration of your browser session; you can change it at any time using the Playback speed menu.
Due early to late September for most users.
Teams and Stream
Viewing the transcript for a Microsoft Teams meeting recording – This Microsoft Stream release will allow you to view the transcript for a Microsoft Teams meeting recording in the transcript pane next to the video player.
For Teams meeting recordings saved to OneDrive and SharePoint that were recorded with Teams Live Transcript, you’ll be able to view the transcript from that meeting directly in the transcript pane next to the video player.
Due late August and to late September for most users.
Supporting links:
- View live transcriptions in a Teams meeting.
- Additional information about Stream features.
Outlook
Outlook on the web – Project Moca migrating to Outlook board view – Project Moca was described by Microsoft as “…simplify your workflow so you can focus on what matters. Add tasks, goals, notes, files from OneDrive and other cloud storage providers, links, contacts, and even emails and events, all into one dynamic space. Each space has a flexible canvas so you can customize and view your content your way”.
They will be migrating content from Project Moca to the new Outlook Calendar board view in July. All boards and content will be migrated and you will not lose any data.
You can now access your boards that you created in Moca as a calendar board view on Outlook on the web. Just open the model switcher (me: “the what?”) dropdown to view all your existing boards.
You’ll now see some new features and improvements in the look and feel of your boards to help you stay organized.
New items include:
- Your calendars and your existing To Do task lists.
- You’ll now be able to lock your view so you can keep it just the way you like.
- All links to your existing Project Moca spaces will be redirected to their new Calendar board view in Outlook on the web.
This migration should have competed by the end of July.
Supporting links:
Bite sized updates
Teams meetings | Registration available for View Only Attendees – early to late August.
View-Only Attendees are now able to register for your Webinars as a normal attendee would. Previously, View-Only Attendees did not have registration support. Learn more.
Teams | Pin a chat message – late August to late September.
You will be able to pin a specific message, providing chat members with quick access to critical content at anytime.
SharePoint | Image Tags – mid-September to early October.
MS: “With this change, we will migrate tags from the previous text-based and read-only Tags column to a new editable Image Tags column. If users have library views or flows that include the old column, the old column will disappear from the view and the new column will need to be added manually. To manually add a column to a view, see Change the view of a list or library. To manually add a column to a flow, see Overview of using flows with SharePoint“.
Teams | Teams Meeting Recordings Auto-Expiration in OneDrive and SharePoint – late September to mid-November.
New recordings will automatically expire 60 days after they are recorded if no action is taken. This will automatically delete Teams recording files stored in OneDrive or SharePoint after a preset period.
Learn more.
Teams | Starting recording will also start live transcription – August.
If both recording and policy settings are enabled, turning on recording will also start live transcription.
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