Microsoft is working on some new capabilities for its Teams Rooms devices, the dedicated video conferencing solutions for professional conference room configurations. This release aims to align the experience with the Microsoft Teams desktop app, and it only targets select Teams Rooms devices on Windows such as the Surface Hub.
First of all, Microsoft is introducing a new Meet now feature that will replace the existing meeting control available on the Teams room console. As the name suggests, the Meet now option will enable users to create ad-hoc meetings instantly with just a few clicks and invite other participants to join them. However, this change applies only to Teams Rooms devices that are running in the “Microsoft Teams only or Microsoft Teams (default) and Skype for Business” modes.
In addition to the Meet now support, the new Calling experience that is already available for desktop users will also be coming to the Teams Rooms devices. The updated Calling app should replace the dedicated dial pad control on the Teams room console, allowing users to make PSTN, one-to-one, and group calls.
These improvements will start rolling out to all Microsoft Teams Rooms devices in January 2022, according to the Microsoft 365 roadmap. In case you missed it, Microsoft is also planning to bring multi-camera support to Teams Rooms devices later this month.
