Microsoft updates Teams with new features, instant polls, message scheduling and more

(Image Courtesy: Microsoft)

Microsoft has rolled out a new update for its business Teams IM client that introduces a lot of new features.

First up is the ability to schedule messages. Aimed at remote workers operating from different time zones, Teams now allows you to schedule messages to be sent at a later time.

Following this is the ability to accept or reject group chat invitations from people outside of the organization. You could deny direct DMs before, but it has now been expanded to group chats as well.

You can now start a Teams chat between Distribution groups, Mail-enabled Security Groups, and Office 365 groups with up to 250 people. A new Unread filter has been added to notifications, that will display unread notifications on top. Searches in chat notifications now show the entire conversation history for the message you clicked on.

It is now possible to attach files from OneDrive for e-signature approvals.

Instant polls allow you to create a quick way to gather feedback with binary answer options. The client will switch automatically to a 7x7 grid during larger meetings. The Android app has been updated with the ability to do transcriptions for direct or group calls.

The whole joining experience has been overhauled with a better pre-join screen, dynamic views, and a dedicated control bar.

For people who have Teams branded displays, Microsoft has added support for hotdesking, while in portrait mode. IT Admins can now manage Microsoft Surface Hubs from the admin portal. They can remotely restart the device, gather logs, and more.

For a complete list of the new features, click here.