Microsoft Teams to get all-day video conference support and more

In early 2020, with the advent of the Covid-19 pandemic, Zoom, despite being in the market became the go-to video conference among corporate and individual users. The sudden prominence of Zoom gave a rude wake-up to the well-resourced Google, Microsoft, and Facebook among others. Since then, the tech giants had to up the ante to attract new customers and if possible draw people from Zoom.

Now, in the latest attempt, Microsoft has announced to bring new features and also allow consumers to link personal and official accounts on Teams application and sync data on all compatible devices desktops and mobile phones.

"Now, you can add your personal account in the Teams desktop or web app and sync all your chats to your computer so you can carry on conversations on whatever device you prefer. Plus, you can use the Teams desktop or web app to call friends and family, even if they don’t have Teams installed, making it easier to connect with loved ones during the holidays. Your work and personal accounts open in different windows or browser tabs on your computer, making it easy to keep them separate," Arjun Tomar, Product Marketing Manager, Microsoft 365 said.

Major announcements include lifting restrictions on a video-call time limit from the current 40-minutes has been extended to 24-hour. That's an all-day video call feature and sure to help people staying away from the family during the festive season. Microsoft has added that users can add up to 300 participants and this will remain valid for several months ahead.

It should be noted that Zoom has also lifted the 40-minute time limit recently, but only for a few days till the Thanksgiving festival. For context, Google and Cisco have restrictions of 60-minutes and 50-minutes, respectively on voice-calls.

Another feature coming soon to Microsoft Teams is the personal chat group with up to 250 people. Also, users can upload and share photos and videos from the computer in any personal or group chat.

Furthermore, users will be able to share video meeting invites with anyone, even if they don’t have Teams. And, they can see up to 49 of their friends and loved ones in one frame in Gallery view or Together mode.

Microsoft Teams will sync existing chat data seamlessly between the phone and the computer and carry-on conversations on the device of the user's choice.

The new features coming soon are great value addition and will surely entice consumers to shift base to Microsoft Teams.

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