Microsoft has announced Microsoft Teams 2.0, which brings significant changes, including a new user interface that looks modern and intuitive, better performance and reliability, which makes it more responsive even while working with large files or multiple users, integration with Microsoft 365 apps like OneNote and Outlook, and new functionality for collaboration so that you can co-author documents in real-time and share files with external users.
Microsoft Teams v2.0 brings more productivity and connectivity to your workspace while using less data and power. At the same time, it offers 70% better and faster performance compared to the previous version. This is currently available to insiders, and before rolling it out, Microsoft wants to make it more stable. It could take some time before the new Teams version starts rolling out to students and organizations.
Download Microsoft Teams 2.0.
A preview of Microsoft Teams with Snapchat Lenses is now available, featuring improved performance and UI changes.
- Open Microsoft Teams, and then select the triple-dot menu to open Settings and More, which appears in the upper-left corner of the screen.
- From there, select About and then Public Preview.
- Now choose to toggle “Try new teams” to join the Insider Channel and test the new teams.
- Next, click on “Get it Now” and reboot your Teams.
If you don’t like the new teams, you can revert to the previous version by toggling the new teams toggle in the upper-left corner of the screen. After that, reboot your Microsoft Teams, which will return to normal Teams.
Snapchat Lens on Microsoft Teams
You may remember the Snap Camera app, which was discontinued in January 2023. This program has been adding Snapchat lenses to video calls on other platforms since 2018, as Snap was focusing on its core business. A lot of users love using the Snap Camera during video calls.
Recently, Microsoft introduced the green screen functionality to use a virtual background with sharp details of users. They have also introduced an avatar. But the latest addition to Microsoft Teams is that they have added a Snap to add Snapchat lenses to Microsoft Teams, which brings 26 different Snapchat lenses, of which 20 Snapchat lenses are now an integrated part of Microsoft Teams. This allows users to add more personality to virtual meetings. Some great selections of lenses are animal, face, background, and game lenses.
How to use Snapchat lenses in Microsoft Teams
To use Snapchat lenses with Microsoft Teams, first, ensure that you have updated your Microsoft Teams to the latest version. This functionality is only accessible to Microsoft Teams for Work, but not to the Education or Free version of Microsoft Teams.
- Open Microsoft Teams and then head over to the More icon in the meeting window’s bottom right corner.
- After that, choose Video Effects, and then click on the Snapchat tab. From there, choose the Snapchat filter.
- Now, choose the lens you want to use by clicking on Preview. You can see yourself with the selected lens without applying it.
- Then, after making your choice, you can click Apply. That’s it!
Users don’t need to download these Snapchat lenses separately, as they will be natively available in Microsoft Teams. To access this, you only need to select Video Effects and then click on the Snapchat tab. From there, select the lens of your choice. The new version of Microsoft Teams and Snapchat is designed based on the Progressive Web App (PWA) version of Snapchat for the Microsoft Store.
Snap’s Camera Kit made it possible to allow this partnership and leverage Snap’s AR technology with the Microsoft Teams app. It shows one of the advantages of using Snap’s Camera Kit SDK and the Flip Education Platform to deliver Snapchat lenses to Microsoft Teams, as it is designed with advanced technology and will improve over time.
Recently, Microsoft Teams attracted students and teachers to its platform. With this new integration, it’s more appealing to Gen Z. Snapchat is very well known among young tech users. This partnership will break the ice and connect participants more with Microsoft Teams.
Microsoft and Snap are working together to bring more fun and interactivity to Microsoft Teams. It’s one of the great ways to make meetings more personal and interactive. It’s fun to add some personality to your meetings, encourage collaboration, and make meetings more engaging. Now, in meetings, you can use lenses. Remember not to use lenses that are too distracting or silly during meetings. Also, be aware of your surroundings when using Snapchat lenses, as it might be difficult to see around.