Zoom announces avatars, meeting templates and other new features

Zoom avatars

Zoom users will now be able to set customizable virtual characters – avatars for their accounts. Added to the collection of filters, these virtual avatars can be used in meetings. Zoom says that avatars mirror the users’ movements and facial expressions, allowing them to present themselves ‘dynamically without needing to be on video and providing a more engaging alternative to static profile pictures to inject more fun and energy into your meetings’.

Avatars can be used when a user:

– Doesn’t want to be seen eating but still want to show that you’re present and engaged

– Wants to present more dynamically than an off-camera static profile picture

– Is looking for fun activities for employee onboarding, team bonding exercises, and previously mundane meetings

The feature is currently available in beta to all Zoom users globally. The company will add additional facial features, hairstyles, and more customization options as the beta progresses.

Meeting templates

Adjusting settings for different meeting types on Zoom now becomes easier with meeting templates. Users can now create, save, and choose from custom meeting templates, which automatically apply the right settings for their needs. Some of the templates provided by Zoom are large meetings – with automated captions and recording, seminars – ideal for corporate meetings and K-12 with quizzes and polls feature.

Threaded messages and reactions in in-meeting chat

Threaded messages and reactions are aimed to enhance the in-meeting chat experience. It will allow meeting participants to create messages threads and consolidate emoji reactions in the in-meeting chat. This also helps organize the chat messages and clarify which messages participants are responding to. The feature will be rolling out later this month.

Q&A in meetings

Currently available to Zoom Webinars, the Q&A feature is now rolling out to meetings. The Q&A feature allows meeting hosts to stay more organized by having one place to view and answer questions. From the Q&A pop-out, hosts and co-hosts can view, answer, or dismiss questions. Hosts will have the ability to determine if they’d like meeting participants to be able to view all questions, or only ones that have been answered.

Q&A in meetings is available in Zoom One Business, Zoom One Business Plus, Zoom One Enterprise, and Zoom One Enterprise Plus accounts.