Getting noticed on a Zoom call could soon be a lot easier thanks to a new update coming to the service.
The video conferencing platform has announced it is bringing gesture recognition to its desktop versions of Zoom, giving users a much easier way to capture attention.
Currently, only two gestures will be supported, but they’re pretty important ones – Thumbs Up and Raise Hand – so you should be able to get the spotlight with ease.
Two thumbs up
Gesture recognition had been present in some versions of Zoom for a little while, namely the company’s iPad and iPhone apps, but this marks the first time the feature will be available on its desktop apps.
Performing one of the two included gestures will display the relevant emoji in the meeting itself, giving a useful way to respond or react if you’re in a particularly loud or crowded place.
Users will need version 5.10.3 or more recent to utilize gesture recognition, which can be enabled at the account, group, or user level – although it is disabled at the client level by default.
In addition, the company has also announced the launch of Zoom Whiteboard in a bid to help boost online collaboration. The “completely rebuilt” online whiteboard experience is described as, “a persistent, expandable, digital canvas”, offering shapes, connectors, sticky notes, adding images, and more features.
The company says the upgraded Zoom Whiteboard makes it easier to replicate the spirit of in-office collaboration among remote teams, across use cases as varied as education, training and project management.
Elsewhere, Zoom has also introduced a host of new upgrades and updates as it looks to keep pace with its rivals.
This includes increased visibility of breakout room activities or hosts, the ability to create a central library of polls for meetings, and requiring users with a work email login who do not have two-factor authentication to enter a one-time password when Zoom detects a suspicious login.