Bad news - your Microsoft Teams calls are about to get a lot more interactive

More participants will be visible on Microsoft Teams calls

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A new update toMicrosoft Teamswill mean that you’ll soon get to see a lot more of your colleagues, whether you like it or not.

Thevideo conferencingplatform is working on an “Interactive Large Gallery” upgrade that will mean your calls will now include feeds from even more people than ever before.

In itsposton the officialMicrosoft365 roadmap, the update description notes that user will soon be able to view up to 49 video participants at once - so you’d better get practising that “engaged smile” look.

Microsoft Teams calls get bigger

As well as being able to see more participants, the update will also mean that users can interact with others via actions like pin and spotlight, and observe their meeting activity like raise hand and reactions.

The update is still listed as being in development for now, but has a scheduled general availability date of September 2022, meaning users won’t have too long to wait.

When available, the update will be available for Microsoft Teams users across desktop and web.

Here’s our list of the best headsets for conference calls right now>How to set up a Microsoft Teams meeting>Microsoft Teams will stop you sitting on your own like a loser

The news is the latest upgrade from Microsoft Teams as it looks to ensure users around the world have all the tools they need to get the most out of its service.

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This includesTogether Mode, launched in the summer of 2020, which brings all attendees into a shared virtual background, with the goal of “making it feel like you’re sitting in the same soom with everyone else”.

The company also recently unveiled a series of new presenter modes designed to help Microsoft Teams users shape their presentation style to particular occasions, such as Standout Mode,which seats the presenter’s video feed in front of the slide deck, while Reporter Mode places content above the shoulder in the style of a news broadcast.

Microsoft has also announced it is working onadding Question and Answer capabilities to Teamswebinars and meetings, bringing a whole new level of interactivity and collaboration.

Mike Moore is Deputy Editor at TechRadar Pro. He has worked as a B2B and B2C tech journalist for nearly a decade, including at one of the UK’s leading national newspapers and fellow Future title ITProPortal, and when he’s not keeping track of all the latest enterprise and workplace trends, can most likely be found watching, following or taking part in some kind of sport.

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