Microsoft Teams is getting multiple enhancements to Teams Calling, key among them support for Apple CarPlay.

“A person’s voice is the signal that builds personal connections and creates clarity, which is why actually speaking with colleagues and customers is more important now than ever,” Microsoft’s Nicole Herskowitz writes. “The use of Teams Calling has skyrocketed as well, with Teams users making over 650 million calls in October, up 11-fold over March of this year. And on average, calls are just one-fourth the length of a typical meeting, making calling a quick and efficient way to reconnect and collaborate.”

With that in mind, Microsoft has announced the following updates to Teams Calling:

CarPlay support. With CarPlay support, Teams users can use their vehicles’ built-in controls to operate Teams, including using Siri to place and answer calls with voice commands.

Streamlined calling experience. The updated Calls app brings the most important calling tasks—the dial pad, call history, voicemail, contacts, and settings—into a single location, making it easier to stay connected while working.

Save call recordings in OneDrive and SharePoint. Now, Teams Admins can opt to make OneDrive or SharePoint the default recording storage location for call recordings instead of using Stream.

Spam identification. Teams will now identify potential spam calls so you can feel confident answering incoming calls. Additionally, Teams will digitally attest your outgoing calls to prevent them from being rejected by external recipients.

Transfer calls between mobile and desktop. Starting in early 2021, you will be able to shift your calls between your mobile and desktop Teams clients with an easy-to-use interface.

Call merge. Call merge is now available for both PSTN calls and VoIP calls.

Low-data mode. Starting in early 2021, Teams users will be able to adjust their settings cap data usage during video calls and establish different settings based on the availability of Wi-Fi and cellular networks.

Enhanced reverse number lookup. Reverse number lookup is now automatic, so you’ll see the name of the caller at the time of the call and in your activity feed and voicemail.

Tagged with Microsoft Teams