UCStatus Podcast

By Randy Chapman, Mark Vale & Shawn Harry

The UCStatus Podcast is your resource for news and insights for Microsoft UC, focusing on Teams and Skype for Business. It is presented by current and former Microsoft MVPs and experts in the Unified... more

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October 13, 2025UCStatus Podcast Episode 69: Latest Teams, Teams Phone, Meetings and Rooms News
Hello Readers, I hope you’re well.
Welcome to Episode 69 of the UCStatus Podcast. This episode features me (@randychapman), Mark Vale (@markvale) and Shawn Harry (@shawnharry).
Since the last one we did was July, I got a bunch of stuff from the Message Centre on Teams general, phone and rooms and meetings stuff. Here’s the list…
Phone and Other Teams
Introducing Express setup for auto attendants and call queues in Teams admin center – Voice Apps Express Setup in Teams Admin Center is now generally available, offering a simplified, guided setup for Auto Attendants and Call Queues with minimal configuration, built-in testing, and easy transition to classic setup. Ideal for SMBs, quick deployments, and first-time admins, it requires no activation.
Microsoft Teams: Microsoft Graph APIs for Teams administration now available in beta – Microsoft Graph beta now offers Teams administration APIs for user configuration, number management, and policy assignment. These enable automation and integration for Teams management, accessible with delegated or application permissions in commercial environments.
Microsoft Teams | Know Your Customer (KYC) onboarding required for new phone number requests – Teams admins must complete a one-time KYC onboarding in the Teams Admin Center by submitting business info and documents before provisioning new phone numbers. The process, taking up to two days, applies globally and does not affect existing numbers.
Microsoft Teams Premium will introduce ultra-low latency (ULL) for town hall attendees, reducing delay from 20-30 seconds to near real-time. Available from September to October 2025 for tenants using Microsoft eCDN or no eCDN
Microsoft Teams will introduce a default setting allowing users to view incoming calls in a small, resizable window to reduce disruption.
Microsoft Teams Premium: SMS support expands to Australia
Rollout Pause – Line Key Configuration via Teams Admin Center
Noise suppression for dial-in participants in Teams audio conferences
Microsoft Teams is shortening meeting URLs by removing parameters to improve sharing and security
Improvements in call transfer experience on Teams Phone devices – Microsoft Teams Phone devices will receive improved call transfer features by October 2025, enhancing speed, reliability, and UI clarity for blind and consult transfers across touch and non-touch devices
Microsoft Teams Premium or Microsoft 365 Copilot: New translated recap after multilingual meetings
Session Border Controllers (SBCs) acting as TLS clients towards Microsoft Teams infrastructure: Due to recent changes in Google’s Chrome root program, many public Certificate Authorities (CAs) will stop issuing certificates with the clientAuth Extended Key Usage (EKU).
Source Post
Rooms and Meetings
Admin settings for Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) camera controls for Teams Rooms on Windows – Microsoft Teams Rooms on Windows will introduce an admin setting to disable OEM camera controls
Microsoft Teams Rooms on Windows: Native PTZ controls – delayed to December
Manage voice and face recognition for rooms (MTR-W/MTRA) via device settings – Microsoft Teams Rooms (Windows 4.19+, Android 3.6+) will have new admin UI for managing voice and face recognition, replacing PowerShell configuration. Voice recognition defaults to off. Rollout starts mid-October 2025. Enrollment requires user consent and is completed on-device. Surface Hub and Teams displays are not supported.
Teams Rooms on Windows: Support for facilitator agent in scheduled and ad hoc meetings
Simultaneous role-specific Teams Town hall and Webinar views in Teams Rooms on Windows
Multi-stream IntelliFrame, Cloud IntelliFrame and Multiple camera view support in Webinar and Structured Meetings
People count captured by Cloud IntelliFrame in the Pro Management portal reports
Recommended actions page in the Teams Rooms Pro Management portal
Room Recommender – Starting mid-November 2025, Microsoft Teams will auto-suggest meeting rooms via AI in chats if no room is booked, considering attendee location and room availability
Cloud IntelliFrame now available on Teams Rooms for Android
Enhanced peripheral data in Pro Management portal reports for BYOD spaces – Microsoft Teams is adding peripheral health reporting in the Pro Management portal for BYOD rooms and desks, enabling admins to detect device issues proactively. Room reports need a Teams Shared Devices license
Microsoft Teams Rooms on Android: Town hall attendee experience
Microsoft Teams: Multiple camera switching in Teams Rooms on Windows as a receiver
Teams Rooms on Android and Teams Phone devices face calling and pairing failures due to Continuous Access Evaluation (CAE) policies affecting token validity. To ensure device stability and reliable calling, disable CAE on all Conditional Access policies for these devices, as this does not significantly reduce security.
Copilot Recap
Back by popular demand. Keep in mind that this was generated by AI and may not capture exactly what we said or the sentimenmt and context around it accurately.
Microsoft Teams Admin and Voice Feature Updates: Randy, Mark Vale, and Shawn discussed recent updates to Microsoft Teams admin features, including the introduction of Express setup for auto attendants and call queues, the release of Teams admin Graph APIs in beta, and enhancements to phone number management and policy assignment, with Mark providing technical insights and practical experiences.
Express Setup for Auto Attendants: Randy introduced the new Express setup for auto attendants and call queues in the Teams admin center, and Mark explained that while it allows for quick basic setup, more advanced configurations like call back in queue still require the classic editor. The Express setup is a three-step process for initial configuration, after which full editing is available.
Comparison of Setup Methods: The group compared the Express setup, classic editor, and PowerShell approaches, with Mark noting that Teams admin center’s UI is improving and PowerShell’s role is diminishing for most users, though PowerShell remains useful for automation and complex scenarios.
Graph API for Teams Admin: Randy highlighted the release of Microsoft Graph APIs for Teams admin center in beta, enabling user configuration, number management, and policy assignment without PowerShell. Mark shared that these APIs were previously available to select providers and now allow for easier automation and provisioning, reducing resource requirements and enabling integration with tools like Power Automate.
Device and Policy Management via API: Shawn inquired about device management capabilities, and Mark clarified that the APIs focus on user accounts, allowing policy assignments to users, but device-specific management is still evolving. The discussion touched on the ongoing consolidation of management portals and the desire for a single pane of glass.
Regulatory and Security Changes in Teams Telephony: The team, led by Mark and Randy, reviewed new regulatory requirements such as Know Your Customer (KYC) for phone number provisioning, discussed the global rollout of SMS features, and examined upcoming changes to certificate management and security policies affecting Teams telephony and devices.
KYC for Phone Number Requests: Mark explained that Microsoft now requires KYC checks for new phone number requests to comply with carrier regulations, involving identity and address verification to prevent fraud. Shawn linked this to Microsoft’s broader Secure Future Initiative, and Randy noted the process applies globally and takes about two days.
SMS Feature Expansion and Limitations: The group discussed the availability of SMS in Teams, with Mark noting that SMS is currently limited to the US and Australia, is text-only (no MMS), and subject to regulatory constraints. Mark shared experiences with the lengthy approval process for SMS enablement in the US.
Certificate Management Changes: Mark and Randy detailed upcoming changes to certificate requirements for SBCs (Session Border Controllers), including the need for client authentication parameters and shorter certificate validity periods, which will require more frequent renewals and potentially new automation or manual processes for customers.
Conditional Access and Device Code Flow: Randy and Shawn discussed the impact of Conditional Access Evaluation (CAE) policies and device code flow on Teams devices, recommending that service accounts for Teams Rooms be excluded from CAE to avoid disruptions, and describing the technical details of device authentication and policy exclusions.
Teams Rooms and Meetings Feature Enhancements: Randy and Shawn explored a range of new and upcoming features for Teams Rooms and meetings, including OEM camera control settings, delayed PTZ controls, room-level voice and face recognition management, multi-camera and multi-stream support, and AI-driven room recommendations, with practical commentary on deployment and management challenges.
OEM Camera Controls and PTZ Delays: Randy described the new admin setting to disable OEM camera controls in Teams Rooms on Windows, questioning the rationale behind making smart cameras ‘dumb.’ The group noted that native PTZ (pan-tilt-zoom) controls for Teams Rooms on Windows have been delayed again, impacting vendors who waited for Microsoft’s implementation.
Voice and Face Recognition Management: Randy explained the shift from user policy-based to room-based management for voice and face recognition in Teams Rooms, allowing more granular control but potentially increasing administrative complexity. The settings are now available at the device level for both Windows and Android.
Facilitator Agent and Note-Taking: The facilitator agent, now labeled ‘Take Notes,’ can be invoked in both ad hoc and scheduled meetings, providing a transcript and recap in Microsoft Loop. The team discussed the overlap with transcription features and the evolving naming conventions.
Multi-Camera and Multi-Stream Support: Randy highlighted the introduction of multi-camera view and multi-stream Intelliframe support for Teams Rooms on Windows, webinars, and town halls, noting that Android support lags behind and requesting parity across platforms.
AI-Driven Room Recommendations: Randy introduced the upcoming Room Recommender feature, which will use AI and location data to suggest available meeting rooms in Teams chats, leveraging the Places infrastructure for improved user experience.
Teams Device Management and BYOD Challenges: Randy and Shawn discussed advancements in Teams device management, including enhanced configuration profiles, partial config for Android, and the complexities of managing BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) rooms, highlighting barriers to adoption and the need for better integration and automation.
Configuration Profiles and Partial Config: Randy described improvements in configuration profiles for Teams Rooms, including the ability to use partial config on Android, which allows central and local settings to coexist without overwriting each other, simplifying multinational deployments.
Device Health and Reporting Enhancements: The team noted the addition of health reporting for BYOD spaces and desks, enabling proactive device detection and issue management, provided the rooms have a shared device license.
BYOD Room Onboarding Barriers: Randy explained the cumbersome process required to onboard BYOD rooms into the Pro Management Portal, which involves multiple users plugging into each device, and Shawn emphasized that this is a significant barrier to adoption that Microsoft needs to address.
Integration with OEM Tools: The discussion covered the limitations of OEM management tools, which cannot provide full meeting telemetry, and the need for Microsoft to offer APIs for better integration, though the group agreed that using two tools is manageable for now.
Security, Compliance, and Organizational Challenges: Shawn and Randy addressed the organizational complexities of managing security and compliance for Teams Rooms and devices, emphasizing the need for coordinated policies across IT silos and the risks of overly restrictive or uncoordinated conditional access policies.
IT Silos and Policy Coordination: Randy and Shawn discussed how different IT teams (Exchange, Intune, AD, etc.) often operate in silos, leading to misaligned policies that can inadvertently disrupt Teams Rooms functionality, and stressed the importance of cross-team collaboration for effective device management.
It was a fun discussion as always. Thanks for listening! Catch you next time.
As always, we’d love to hear your thoughts. Leave a comment below.
You can listen in-line in this post, or if you prefer, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Podcasts, TuneIn or iHeartRadio. The links are below.
If you’ve enjoyed this or any other episodes of the UCStatus Podcast, why not take a second to subscribe, like and share.

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57min
July 17, 2025UCStatus Podcast Episode 68: Teams Voice Special
Hello Readers, I hope you’re well.
Welcome to Episode 68 of the UCStatus Podcast. This episode features me (@randychapman), Mark Vale (@markvale) and Shawn Harry (@shawnharry).
This week for a change I cultivated a list of Teams voice specific news and updates so Mark didn’t get bored . The list wasn’t that long so I added some room stuff at the end. Here’s the list…
Message Centre
New Queues app service plan listed under Teams Premium
Configure line keys in Teams admin center for streamlined device management – mid to end of July
admins can assign line keys in the Teams admin center in two ways:
Using a generic configuration section (device-agnostic)
Using device model-specific templates
Custom Ringtone Behavior and Ringtones for Assigned Line Keys
users can personalize the behavior and ringtone for each assigned line key—choosing from ring only, ring with flash, or flash only. Unique ringtones can also be assigned per line key, making it easier to identify calls at a glance.
New feature suggests contacts for call transfers on Teams Phone devices
Roadmap
Support noise suppression for dial-in participants to Audio conferences
What’s new for Direct Routing – June 2025
New Call Troubleshooting via SIP Call Flow is available in TAC
Network Effectiveness Ratio (NER) metric update – upgrading the fomula used to calculate the metric
Immediately upgrade to the latest SBA version
Versions from before February 2025 will cease to function 1st September
There are some security features in the newer versions which are incompatible with older versions
What’s new in Teams June 2025
Users can join Teams Town hall and Webinar using PSTN codes
Organizers and presenters can join a town hall using dial-in details
Copilot generated summaries for call transfers in Teams Client and on Teams phone devices
Opening Calls in a small window in Teams
Call waiting beep
Real-Time Text (RTT) for more inclusive calling supported in both Teams calls and meetings
Wish List
We also decided to start a wish list of things we want in Teams telephony
Wrap up codes and wrap up timer
Ring on phone only rather than all signed in devices
CTI integration – Salesforce and Hubspot, Dynamics of course
Better analytics. Department Manager friendly
Teams Rooms
Since the voice stuff didn’t take that long to cover I added some recent Teams Room stuff that I thought was worth talking about
No more MTR on Windows in TAC. All moved to Pro Portal
Teams Town hall screen management privileges in Teams Rooms on Windows
AI assistant in the Teams Rooms Pro Management portal
Call quality reports for BYOD rooms in the Pro Management portal
Expanded and enhanced peripheral support for BYOD spaces
Android device health signals in the Pro Management portal
We didn’t have the Copilot recap notes for this one for some reason again. Sorry
It was a fun discussion as always. Thanks for listening! Catch you next time.
As always, we’d love to hear your thoughts. Leave a comment below.
You can listen in-line in this post, or if you prefer, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Podcasts, TuneIn or iHeartRadio. The links are below.
If you’ve enjoyed this or any other episodes of the UCStatus Podcast, why not take a second to subscribe, like and share.

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We’d love to hear your comments and suggestions for future episodes so why not leave a comment.
...more
46min
June 12, 2025UCStatus Podcast Episode 67: Commsverse 2025 and other recent Teams news
Hello Readers, I hope you’re well.
Welcome to Episode 67 of the UCStatus Podcast. This episode features me (@randychapman), Mark Vale (@markvale) and Shawn Harry (@shawnharry).
This week we chat about Commsverse which is next week. There are, at the time of writing, still tickets to be had. Commsverse 2025 – Tickets
We also had a short list of recent news from the message centre and roadmap
Message Centre
Android based auth changes coming soon
To enhance security capabilities such as Continuous Access Evaluation and IP-based conditional access enforcement, Microsoft is transitioning these devices to modern, secure authentication using Entra ID (AAD) based tokens.
Will require a specific version.
AOSP migration update
Support for making a silent test call
New MTRA app
Facilitator
Local PTZ
Speaker recognition
Improvements and fixes
New AI assistant for admins in the Teams Rooms Pro Management portal
New threaded conversation layout option for channels
Microsoft Teams for iOS/Android: New location sharing settings for emergency calls and more
Check-in and auto release for non-Teams meetings and in-person meetings
Automatically set work location by connecting to a Wi-Fi network
Adding and editing external contacts on Teams phone devices
Remotely manage contacts in Teams admin center
Roadmap
Apply partial settings for Android devices using configuration profiles in the Teams admin center
Shared spaces insights in the Pro Management portal
Browser support on Teams Rooms on Windows touch boards
bulk operations on Teams Devices through the Teams admin center and Pro Portal
We didn’t have the Copilot recap notes for this one for some reason. Sorry
It was still a fun discussion. Thanks for listening! Catch you next time.
As always, we’d love to hear your thoughts. Leave a comment below.
You can listen in-line in this post, or if you prefer, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Podcasts, TuneIn or iHeartRadio. The links are below.
If you’ve enjoyed this or any other episodes of the UCStatus Podcast, why not take a second to subscribe, like and share.

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We’d love to hear your comments and suggestions for future episodes so why not leave a comment.
...more
41min
April 11, 2025UCStatus Podcast Episode 66: Teams new after Enterprise Connect 2025
Hello Readers, I hope you’re well.
Welcome to Episode 66 of the UCStatus Podcast. This episode features me (@randychapman), Mark Vale (@markvale) and Shawn Harry (@shawnharry).
This week we have a ton of stuff to cover off the back of Enterprise Connect 2-25. There’s usually a lot of stuff revealed at EC and this year was no exception. I had a list of stuff written down,
Facilitator in MTR
Face Recognition in MTR on Windows with Cloud IntelliFrame
Speaker recognition and attribution on MTR on Android. e.g. single channel audio, transcription and attribution
ability to send chats to attendees in the lobby with lobby chat
Room recommender
Join as attendee to Microsoft events and town halls on MTRoW
Slide control for presenters
Meeting or event presenters can share control of slides with fellow presenters. Eliminating the “next slide please”
Migration tool for Teams
Streamlined, unified role based access for Teams device management across both TAC and PMP
Expanded and enhanced peripheral support for BYOD spaces
BYOD spaces now support additional room and desk peripherals, including docking stations and webcams.
call quality reports for BYOS rooms in PMP
Line keys on phone devices with touch screens: Generally available now
Line key support for shared line and call transfers
New user setting to view incoming calls in a small window
PSTN call extensibility: Generally available now
Teams Phone extensibility for Microsoft Dynamics 365 Contact Center and certified ISVs solutions: Available in public preview in April
Teams Phone Mobile is now generally available with several new operators, including Bell Canada, Odido (Netherlands), Vodafone UK, and Vodafone Germany.
Shared call history for call delegates: Generally available now
SMS for Teams Calling Plans in US & CA: Generally available in US and Canada
Queues app: barge/whisper/monitor/takeover: available in public preview in April
Use Copilot during Teams calls without turning on transcription or recording : Available now in public preview
Copilot summary for transferred calls: Available in public preview in April
Microsoft Teams Rooms on Android: New local pan-tilt-zoom (PTZ) controls
Teams Rooms Pro Management portal update: Generally available early next quarter
Admins now have expanded device health signals
consolidation of admin portals
IT admins can manage rooms more effectively with the AI assistant in the Pro Management portal.
First Native Bluetooth certification issued to Logitech for the Zone Wireless 2 and Zone 305. More devices coming
Occupancy status on Teams panels
Ad-hoc individual desk booking
Auto-update workplace presence with Wi-Fi
Windows 10 End of Support for Microsoft Teams Rooms on Windows
but I also have the recap from Copilot:
MTR on Windows Devices Management: Randy announced that MTR on Windows devices will be moving from the Teams Admin Center to the Pro Management Portal. This change will take effect from April, and all devices will be enrolled in the Pro Management Portal regardless of their license type.
Transition Details: Randy explained that from April, the next version of the Teams app will uninstall the TAC agent from MTRs and enroll all devices in the Pro Management Portal (PMP), regardless of their license type.
License Implications: Randy clarified that traditionally, devices with a Pro license were automatically enrolled in the PMP. Now, all Teams Rooms devices will be enrolled in the PMP, but management capabilities will follow the license type.
Customer Impact: Shawn raised concerns about customers with basic licenses, noting that they will have minimal management capabilities in the PMP, such as rebooting devices and checking online status.
Pro Management Portal Capabilities: Randy explained that the management capabilities in the Pro Management Portal will follow the license type. Pro users will get full management capabilities, standard users will get some, and basic users will get minimal management capabilities.
Pro License Benefits: Randy detailed that Pro license users will have access to all management capabilities in the PMP, including advanced settings and configurations.
Standard License Limitations: For standard license users, Randy mentioned that they will have access to some management features but not all, limiting their ability to fully manage their devices.
Basic License Restrictions: Randy emphasized that basic license users will have very limited management capabilities, primarily being able to reboot devices and check their online status.
Facilitator Feature: Randy introduced the facilitator feature, which uses copilot to take notes during meetings. Users can scan a QR code to invoke the facilitator, which will create a loop page with meeting notes and actions.
Feature Overview: Randy described the facilitator feature as a tool that joins meetings to take notes, creating a loop page with all actions and discussions recorded.
QR Code Activation: Users can invoke the facilitator by scanning a QR code with their mobile phone, ensuring that the meeting owner controls the information generated.
Loop Page Benefits: The loop page created by the facilitator is persistent across multiple platforms, allowing edits in one place to reflect everywhere it is embedded.
Settings Management in Pro Management Portal: Randy mentioned that settings management in the Pro Management Portal has improved for Teams Rooms on Windows. Users can now apply changes immediately or during the maintenance window.
Immediate Application: Randy explained that users can now choose to apply settings changes immediately, rather than waiting for the nightly reboot, ensuring quicker implementation of changes.
Maintenance Window Option: Users still have the option to apply changes during the maintenance window, allowing for flexibility in managing updates and settings.
Digital Signage Implementation: This feature was first implemented for digital signage, allowing immediate application of changes to ensure the correct content is displayed without delay.
Face Recognition and Speaker Recognition: Randy shared that face recognition and speaker recognition features are coming to MTR on Windows and Android. These features will help identify participants and attribute their speech during meetings.
Room Recommender: Randy discussed the room recommender feature, which uses AI to suggest meeting rooms based on the number of attendees and their location. This feature aims to make in-person collaboration easier.
Teams Phone Mobile Availability: Randy announced that Teams Phone Mobile is now generally available with several new operators, including Bell Canada, Odido in the Netherlands, Vodafone UK, and Vodafone Germany.
Shared Call History for Call Delegates: Randy mentioned that shared call history for call delegates is now generally available, allowing delegates to view the call history of the lines they manage.
SMS for Teams Calling Plans: Randy shared that SMS for Teams Calling Plans is now generally available in the US and Canada. However, the approval process for 10 DLC registration can take several weeks.
Barge, Whisper, Monitor, and Takeover: Randy announced that barge, whisper, monitor, and takeover features will be available for public preview in April. These features are essential for contact center operations.
Copilot Summary for Transferred Calls: Randy explained that copilot can now provide a summary for transferred calls, allowing the receiving agent to quickly understand the context of the call.
Teams Rooms on Android PTZ Controls: Randy mentioned that local PTZ controls are coming to Teams Rooms on Android before Windows. This feature will allow users to control the camera’s pan, tilt, and zoom functions.
Occupancy Status on Teams Panels: Randy shared that teams panels can now display occupancy status based on room sensors. This feature helps users know if a room is occupied even if it is not booked.
Ad Hoc Individual Desk Booking: Randy discussed the new ad hoc individual desk booking feature, which allows users to book individual desks instead of desk pools. This feature is useful for desks with docking stations.
Windows 10 End of Support for Teams Rooms: Randy announced that Windows 10 support for Teams Rooms on Windows will end soon. Users are encouraged to upgrade to Windows 11 to continue receiving updates and support.
Surface Hub Upgrade: Randy mentioned that Surface Hub devices will no longer support the Team OS and will need to be upgraded to Windows 11. This upgrade will provide better performance and more features.
I think that covers it. Thanks for listening! Catch you next time.
As always, we’d love to hear your thoughts. Leave a comment below.
You can listen in-line in this post, or if you prefer, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Podcasts, TuneIn or iHeartRadio. The links are below.
If you’ve enjoyed this or any other episodes of the UCStatus Podcast, why not take a second to subscribe, like and share.

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We’d love to hear your comments and suggestions for future episodes so why not leave a comment.
...more
55min
February 12, 2025UCStatus Podcast Episode 65: Teams Insider crossover with Tom Arbuthnot – thoughts on 2025 from a combined 50+ years in UC
Hello Readers, I hope you’re well.
Welcome to Episode 65 of the UCStatus Podcast. This episode features me (@randychapman), Mark Vale (@markvale) and Shawn Harry (@shawnharry).
This week we have a returning special guest, Tom Arbuthnot (@TomArbuthnot). We’re also doing something new, a crossover episode for Tom’s Teams Insider podcast. Look out for the episode there too. I do hope to go again in the future.
We didn’t have a fixed agenda or list of topics this time. It was a very fluid conversation looking back at last year and prior with all that’s happened in Teams and M365 and a look ahead. The look ahead also has some combination wishes and predictions. So Microsoft if you’re paying attention, we have your roadmap laid out.
Since we didn’t have a list and I didn’t write down what we talked about I’m also trying a first, and that is giving you the Teams Copilot recap verbatim.
Here you go
Teams Premium Uptake: Shawn and Tom Arbuthnot discussed the uptake of Teams Premium among customers. Tom mentioned that while their small company of six people uses it, customer adoption is still spotty. Some customers buy it for specific features like webinars or branding, but blanket adoption is rare.
Teams Client Changes: Tom Arbuthnot highlighted the significant changes to the Teams client last year, including the new calendar and the introduction of unified contacts. These changes are laying the foundation for future innovations and improvements.
Copilot and Intelligent Recap: Randy and Tom Arbuthnot discussed the value of the intelligent recap feature in Teams Premium, which provides a summary of meetings. Tom emphasized that this feature alone could justify the cost of Teams Premium for heavy meeting users.
Voice and Video in Teams: Mark Vale and Shawn discussed the current state of voice and video in Teams. Mark mentioned that while Teams was revolutionary a year ago, it has now become a standard tool that no one is particularly excited about.
Teams Premium Features: Tom Arbuthnot and Randy discussed the various features of Teams Premium, including branding, the Q&A app, and the potential for barge and whisper functionality. These features are expected to enhance the value of Teams Premium.
Copilot in Teams: Randy and Tom Arbuthnot discussed the proliferation of Copilot in Teams and its impact on the platform. They noted that Copilot is becoming a significant part of Teams, with many sessions at the summit dedicated to it.
Future of Teams and AI: Tom Arbuthnot and Mark Vale discussed the future direction of Teams, including the potential for AI-driven features and the integration of Copilot. They speculated that Teams might eventually be replaced by a more AI-centric platform.
Contact Center AI Integration: Mark Vale and Tom Arbuthnot discussed the potential for AI integration in contact centers. Mark mentioned that call recording vendors are looking to integrate conversation data into Copilot to provide better customer insights and recommendations.
Teams and BYOD: Randy and Shawn discussed the surprising adoption of BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) in Teams, despite initial resistance. They noted that Microsoft has figured out how to monetize BYOD and is adding features to support it.
Teams and Cross-Platform Interoperability: Tom Arbuthnot and Shawn discussed the challenges of cross-platform interoperability in Teams. They noted that while Teams does not natively support SIP, there are gateways and third-party solutions to enable interoperability.
Teams and Security: Tom Arbuthnot and Shawn discussed the security implications of open federation in Teams. They noted that many organizations are closing federation due to phishing concerns, and Microsoft is introducing new controls to address these issues.
Teams and AI-Driven Features: Tom Arbuthnot and Mark Vale discussed the potential for AI-driven features in Teams, including real-time coaching and sentiment analysis in contact centers. They noted that AI could significantly enhance the value of voice interactions.
Teams and Copilot Adoption: Randy and Tom Arbuthnot discussed the challenges of adopting Copilot in organizations. They noted that Microsoft is offering free and pay-as-you-go options to encourage adoption and make it easier for organizations to justify the cost.
Teams and Threaded Replies: Tom Arbuthnot mentioned that threaded replies are coming to chat in Teams, which will help reduce friction in adoption and improve the user experience.
Teams and ARM-Based Devices: Tom Arbuthnot and Randy discussed the potential for ARM-based devices in Teams Rooms. They noted that ARM devices offer better performance per dollar and lower fan noise, making them an attractive option for Teams Rooms.
Thanks for listening! Catch you next time.
As always, we’d love to hear your thoughts. Leave a comment below.
You can listen in-line in this post, or if you prefer, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Podcasts, TuneIn or iHeartRadio. The links are below.
If you’ve enjoyed this or any other episodes of the UCStatus Podcast, why not take a second to subscribe, like and share.

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We’d love to hear your comments and suggestions for future episodes so why not leave a comment.
...more
50min
December 03, 2024UCStatus Podcast Episode 64: Microsoft Ignite 2024 Special
Hello Readers, I hope you’re well.
Welcome to Episode 64 of the UCStatus Podcast. This episode features me (@randychapman), Mark Vale (@markvale83) and Shawn Harry (@shawnharry).
This week we focus on all the stuff we (I) found intertesting from Microsoft Ignite 2024 in Chicago. I happened to be there this year for the first time which was awesome. I do hope to go again in the future.
Microsoft published blog posts on new things for Teams and Copilot announced at Ignite
What’s New in Microsoft Teams | Microsoft Ignite 2024
Introducing the AI-Powered Workplace: Technology solutions for flexible work | Microsoft Community Hub
Microsoft Ignite 2024 | Microsoft 365 Copilot Innovation in Your Go-To Apps
Introducing Copilot Actions, new agents, and tools to empower IT teams
Ignite 2024 – What’s new for Microsoft 365 and Copilot admins
There were a lot of great sessions, but only a couple focused on Microsoft Teams, and in particular, devices. This is one I refer to a lot in this podcast episode. Presented by Ilya Bukshteyn, Pete Daderko and Kerry Perez Heffernan at Microsoft. I attended this live in person. But there is a recording
Unlock smart collaboration with Microsoft Teams
Other notewoprthy Teams Sessions
Connect & Collaborate: New in Microsoft Teams
A new AI powered calendar for flexible workspaces
Enhance collaboration with Teams and Surface Hub 3
Unlock the Value of Microsoft 365 Copilot and Copilot Studio
Capitalize on Microsoft 365 Copilot partner opportunity in Enterprise
Microsoft Teams: new chat and channels experience
Here’s the list
Copilot
Copilot Actions:
A new AI agent feature called Copilot Actions was introduced, allowing users to automate repetitive tasks within Microsoft 365 Copilot.
New AI Administrator Role:
A new role called AI administrator was announced, specifically for managing and overseeing AI and Copilot administration in organizations.
Copilot in Microsoft 365 Admin Centers:
Copilot will be available in the Microsoft 365 admin center, Teams admin center, and SharePoint admin center, with general availability targeted for January 2025. This feature will help optimize routine tasks, generate insights, and enhance decision-making for IT professionals.
Copilot in Teams admin center
Copilot in Pro Management Portal
New Agents and Tools:
New agents in Microsoft 365 were introduced to unlock SharePoint knowledge, provide real-time language interpretation in Microsoft Teams meetings, and automate employee self-service.
Copilot Agents:
Agents can automate and execute business processes, ranging from simple prompt and response tasks to more advanced and fully autonomous agents.
Copilot Control System
help IT professionals confidently manage Copilot and agents securely.
Copilot file summary – upload a file to Teams and let Copilot summarise the contents
Copilot in Teams can analyze content shared on-screen
Places
Places is now Generally Available
Recommended in-office days with Copilot
Managed Booking with Copilot
Places Finder
Workplace Presence
space analytics with Copilot
team guidance
quick book
Now a detour talking about licensing. How to decide who needs what license or feature from a specific license, and how to manage it once you do.
Random Teams News
Storyline integrated in Teams
New chat and channel experience
Loop workspaces in a channel
Name pronunciation in profile cards
Skin tone setting for emojis and reactions
Live transcription in Teams meetings support for multiple spoken languages
Intelligent recap for calls from chat and ‘Meet now’ meetings
Disable copying of live captions, transcripts, and recap for meetings
Translated intelligent meeting recap
Active meeting protection notifications of sensitive screenshared content
Meeting sensitivity upgrade notification based on shared file
A meeting sensitivity upgrade can now be triggered when an attendee shares a file in a Teams meeting chat or during a live share that has a higher sensitivity setting. The meeting’s settings can be upgraded either automatically or via a recommendation to the organizer, to inherit the same sensitivity setting as the file shared in the meeting.
Moderated meetings in Teams
Moderated meetings gives organizations with Information Barrier (IB) tenants the option to allow users with conflicting policies to join the same meeting in the presence of an approved moderator
Email verification for external participants to join Teams meetings
Brand impersonation phishing protection
personal block
Block malicious users from your organization
admins can block specific people for a list of users
New admin policy to prevent bots from joining Teams meetings
Support for SMS text notifications to attendees in Microsoft Bookings app
New calendar experience in Microsoft Teams
Enhancements to iPad Teams calendar
New expanded gallery view for minimized meeting window
Navigate meetings and messages hands-free, with the power of AI in the driver’s seat [iOS]: Available now in public preview
Town Halls & Webinars
Support for 50k attendees
DVR Capability
Event Chat
Watermarking in Webinars
Out of the box experience for eCDN
Embed support
Teams Rooms and Devices
Speaker recognition: Generally available for Teams BYOD rooms in early 2025
Auto-association of peripherals in BYOD rooms
Speaker attribution in BYOD rooms
Automatically set presence in BYOD rooms
Dual display enhancements on Teams Rooms on Android – up to 18 video tiles on dual screen MTRs (3×3 on each display)
Cloud IntelliFrame video feeds on Teams Rooms on Android and mobile devices
Usage reports for bookable desks in the Teams Rooms Pro Management portal
Copilot in Teams Admin Centre
AI assistant in the Teams Rooms Pro Management portal
Teams Phone
Survivable Branch Appliance (SBA) can now support outages for up to 7 days: Generally available now
Delayed simultaneous ring settings
Queues app available on Teams phone devices
Callback for Call Queues
Speed dial support on line keys
Collaborative call delegation on Teams phone devices
Teams phone device users will soon be able to share access to their phone line with a specific group of users, without a structured delegation system. This enables group members to receive and initiate calls on behalf of others, enabling a simple and collaborative communication experience.
Thanks for listening! Catch you next time.
As always, we’d love to hear your thoughts. Leave a comment below.
You can listen in-line in this post, or if you prefer, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Podcasts, TuneIn or iHeartRadio. The links are below.
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57min
November 09, 2024UCStatus Podcast Episode 63: How to make a good cup of tea, and the latest Teams news
Hello Readers, I hope you’re well.
Welcome to Episode 63 of the UCStatus Podcast. This episode features me (@randychapman), Mark Vale (@markvale83) and Shawn Harry (@shawnharry).
This week was again a random list of stuff I found interesting in the Message centre and roadmap for Teams.
Here’s the list
New Microsoft Teams and Skype for Business Call Hold Synchronization
Queues App is now GA
SBA Enhancements
SBA survivability window now increased from 24 hours to 7 days
Microsoft user and phone auth tokens last up to 24 hours. Previously expired tokens are supported by the SBA for up to 7 days
The SBA supports Windows and Mac desktop client and Teams Phones. eams phone devices
Speed dial customization using line keys for non-touch phones and sidecars
New policy for voice and face enrollment. Set to on by default
Before this rollout, the current policy csTeamsMeetingPolicy has a single setting, EnrollUserOverride, that allows the administrator to enable or disable the enrollment of both face and voice profile of users.
After this rollout, the new csTeamsAIPolicy will replace the existing enrollment setting in csTeamsMeetingPolicy. The new csTeamsAIPolicy has two settings, EnrollFace and EnrollVoice, that will be set to Enabled by default.
New Teams Combined Chat and Channel experience rolling out now
Digital Signage on MTR on Windows now GA
Use a correctly formatted URL, Appspace or Xogo
Blogs and videos coming soon
Pexip Connect for Teams Rooms is now GA
This enables you to forward an invite with a SIP join URL to your MTR email address to get a one touch join button. Rather than joining over Direct Guest Join it joins using the Pexip CVI. This means you get a more native join experience for any 3rd party meeting and more features including dual screen join and content ingest.
Blogs and videos coming soon
Cloud Intelliframe new admin controls. Admins can turn off “require supported camera” to expand the camera support. E.g. cameras that can optically zoom to group frame before Microsoft applies the digital cropping for Cloud IntelliFrame
BYOD enhancements
Enhanced shared display mode with room audio auto-detect in a BYOD room
Automatically set workplace presence in a BYOD room
Participant roster grouping in Teams BYOD rooms
Start/stop recording on MTRoW
Multi camera view on MTRoW – MTRoW will allow you to create a view from up to 4 single stream cameras and send that as the default video feed from the room. Users will also be able to switch between the cameras and choose the view they want
Native PTZ controls on MTRoW
TAC configured custom display name on Teams Panels (rather than in the Exchange mailbox)
Behind the scenes sneak peak
I thought you might find this interesting. This is the Copilot recap of the Teams meeting we used to record the episode. It shows a decent summary and a speech track of the three of us and who talked when.
Once we finish talking about Teams we start talking about tea. Coming from an American living in the UK for almost 30 years, America can’t make tea right.
Proper tea recipe
boil your kettle
get a good teabag and put it in a cup
pour over the boiled water
start a timer for 3 minutes and 30 seconds
stir to move the bag around a little
Once the timer ends stir the bag around
remove the teabag with a spoon and squeeze the bag against the spoon to release all the remaining water and flavour from the bag
add a splash of milk (if you like that) and suger or sweetener if you want
A final stir
enjoy
Thanks for listening! Catch you next time.
As always, we’d love to hear your thoughts. Leave a comment below.
You can listen in-line in this post, or if you prefer, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Podcasts, TuneIn or iHeartRadio. The links are below.
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57min
September 20, 2024UCStatus Podcast Episode 62: Operator Connect and the latest Teams news
Hello Readers, I hope you’re well.
Welcome to Episode 62 of the UCStatus Podcast. This episode features me (@randychapman), Mark Vale (@markvale83) and Shawn Harry (@shawnharry).
This week was a random list of stuff I found interesting in the Message centre and roadmap for Teams.
Here’s the list
Operator Connect hits 100 operators and 100 countries covered. The scale of coverage goes from a single country by one or more operators to a tie at 66 countries covered by two operators. We discuss Operator Connect at length
update your Teams devices to avoid disruption. Microsoft has multiple posts begging you to install updates on your Teams devices so nothing bad happens one day. This includes Teams phones, Teams panel and Teams Rooms. Now you’re going to say that Microsoft auto updates devices now and you can only delay it by 90 days. It seems many customers out there are on such old versions of the Teams app that they don’t have the ability to be auto updated by Microsoft TAC. Here’s one MC post. So get updating your devices please
Teams Display support ending 2025
Microsoft extended support for a bunch of old Teams phones that should have end of lifed
At this point the Teams client decided it didn’t like the audio setup I was using. For reference, Focusrite Scarlett and Logi Yeti Studio mic and Logi Zone wired earbuds. Since it was mic and speakers that failed I am blaming Teams and the Focusrite USB interface. But what a fail. Fortunately I have backup devices and could just change it on the fly. I cut out about 2 minutes of Mark and Shawn laughing at me to spare you. But thought I would leave in the rest as an example of how any component could just fail.
The rest of the list
voice isolation is now available on Mac
Participant grouping on MTR and BYOD rooms when joining the same meeting in the room or for proximity join
Users will have exclusive control over their voice and video enrollment data – for Intelligent audio/video
IntelliFrame video feeds now available on Teams mobile
Unified view of teams and channels
Ability to Start and stop recording on MTR on Windows
Multi-camera view on MTR on Windows
PTZ control on MTR on Windows
Ability to change between framing modes on MTR on Windows
Ability to rename the general channel becomes no general channel for newly created teams
Thanks for listening! Catch you next time.
As always, we’d love to hear your thoughts. Leave a comment below.
You can listen in-line in this post, or if you prefer, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Podcasts, TuneIn or iHeartRadio. The links are below.
If you’ve enjoyed this or any other episodes of the UCStatus Podcast, why not take a second to subscribe, like and share.

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...more
56min
July 19, 2024UCStatus Podcast Episode 61: Microsoft Places and some of the latest Teams and Teams Rooms news
Hello Readers, I hope you’re well.
Welcome to Episode 61 of the UCStatus Podcast. This episode features me (@randychapman), Mark Vale (@markvale83) and Shawn Harry (@shawnharry).
This week we started where we left off last time with Microsoft Places. Plus I put together a list of stuff from the Message Centre. Very good discussion I think. And a lot of voice stuff for Mark.
Here’s the list
Microsoft Places
Dynamics 365 contact centre
The new Queues app for Microsoft Teams is now generally available
Custom backgrounds on MTRoA and Teams Panel
Ultrasonic proximity join
New policy to disable in product messages such as what’s new
Automatic location detection for bookable desks
New Progressive Web App available for Windows and Mac
People app on Teams phones
Private lines on Teams phones
Explicit consent for recording on Teams phones
Call my phone for Teams Phone Mobile (TPM)
New administrative units (AUs) for Teams administration
Multiple camera view for Teams Rooms on Windows
Roster grouping for in-room participants through Proximity Join for Teams Rooms on Windows
Video tile re-sizing based on people count for Teams Rooms on Windows
Microsoft Teams Rooms on Windows can be a Breakout Room participant
Ability to rename General channel
Thanks for listening! Catch you next time.
As always, we’d love to hear your thoughts. Leave a comment below.
You can listen in-line in this post, or if you prefer, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Podcasts, TuneIn or iHeartRadio. The links are below.
If you’ve enjoyed this or any other episodes of the UCStatus Podcast, why not take a second to subscribe, like and share.

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1h 1min
July 09, 2024UCStatus Podcast Episode 60: Team Copilot, Copilot and other stuff
Hello Readers, I hope you’re well.
Welcome to Episode 60 of the UCStatus Podcast. This episode features me (@randychapman), Mark Vale (@markvale83) and Shawn Harry (@shawnharry).
This week we had a short list items I plucked from the what’s new from InfoComm and Build blog posts, and we managed to talk for 25 minutes about the first item in the list. So it turned into an episode largely about Copilot. Not a bad thing though as it was a good discussion.
Here’s the list
From InfoComm
Team Copilot – not to be confused with Copilot in Teams. This is the ability to invite a Copilot to a meeting to start taking notes during meetings. Even in Rooms
Then we continued talking about Copilot in general. Enjoy!
More info about AI for remote attendees
Intelligent Speaker attribution from any mic
Multi-camera and multi-stream coming soon
BYOD and Bookable desks is now GA
Digital Signage in MTR – MTR on Windows first, use a URL, Appspace or XOGO
Autopilot for MTR now GA
Using PMP for Remote management of your MTR on Windows (remote control of the device)
Enhanced SIP join using Pexip – one touch join of SIP meetings from any provider who supports it instead of Direct Guest Join
From Build
Custom Emojis – we need Heidi the sheep
Intelligent Recap from transcription only meetings – no recording needed
You’ll soon be able to manage who can record
Places is now in public preview. That’s all we had time for. We’ll discuss Places in another episode soon
Here’s a list of the Microsoft blog posts that we pulled from
What’s new from Teams Rooms and Devices at InfoComm 2024
What’s New in Microsoft Teams | Microsoft Build 2024 Edition
Thanks for listening! Catch you next time.
As always, we’d love to hear your thoughts. Leave a comment below.
You can listen in-line in this post, or if you prefer, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Podcasts, TuneIn or iHeartRadio. The links are below.
If you’ve enjoyed this or any other episodes of the UCStatus Podcast, why not take a second to subscribe, like and share.

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We’d love to hear your comments and suggestions for future episodes so why not leave a comment.
...more
53min

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