Microsoft rolls out new cool features in Teams free version

As video calls on Teams grow exponentially, Microsoft has announced new features in the free version of Teams to help more people meet and collaborate online.

The free version users are now able to schedule meetings and send out invitations in advance. This capability builds upon the existing ability to "Meet Now."

Meeting schedulers now have the option of either copying the meeting link to send directly to other participants or sending an invite via Outlook or Google calendar.

"This much-requested capability is being rolled out to current users, while users who are just signing up now will be able to experience it soon. And right now, there is no time limit on meetings in the free version of Teams," said Jared Spataro, Corporate Vice President for Microsoft 365.

Teams free users can also turn on live captions during their calls and meetings.

The free version of Teams also provides all types of organizations up to 5 lakh users with unlimited chat and search, audio and video calling, scheduled meetings, 10GB team file storage and 2GB personal file storage per person and unlimited app integration, informed Microsoft.

The company also announced the rollout of new custom background effects in Teams.

Now, Teams users can select a variety of background images like a Microsoft Solitaire background, customise it by uploading own images or choosing one of the collections of backgrounds now available online.

Microsoft designers have also created 20 virtual backgrounds to show support for the LGBTQI+ community.

Last year, Microsoft introduced background blur to help everyone preserve privacy and keep their attention on their teammates.

The design team also created a collection of preset images that range from professional (a modern office) to pretty silly (a cartoonish beach scene).