Zoom Update Adds ‘Raise Hand’, ‘Thumbs Up’ Gesture on iPad, Focus Mode, More

Zoom has added some new options with its newest replace this week for desktop, iPad, and Zoom Phone. These embody a brand new Focus Mode, the power to switch conferences from cell to desktop, limiting screen-sharing for conferences with exterior individuals, and automated reactions from gesture recognition for iPad customers, who can now use ‘Raise 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 latest update. Focus Mode has been designed with educators in thoughts and permits individuals to solely have the ability to see themselves, the host/ co-hosts, and the content material they’re sharing. Hosts and co-hosts can even 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’. Users will nonetheless have the ability to share their screens when there are not any visitor individuals.

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

The Zoom Chat sidebar modifications embody 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.

In phrases of Zoom Phone updates, these with shared strains can allow a privateness function that forestalls others from barging, listening, taking up 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 have the ability to see extra metrics related to name queues — they’ll view the highest 10 extensions by name utilization corresponding to inbound, outbound, and inside calls, or particulars on minutes utilization.