Attention Zoom users: Updated interface and features coming to Zoom

Rutgers will update to the latest version of Zoom on July 11, providing faculty, staff, and students with a refreshed interface, a rebranding of the Zoom application as Zoom Workplace, and a variety of other new features.

Once this update is complete, users will see several display changes, including a rebrand to Zoom Workplace in the Zoom desktop application and an updated meeting interface with new toolbar icons and names, such as “Share” instead of “Share Screen” or “React” instead of “Reactions.”

Some other interesting updates include:

• New color themes: Users can change the appearance of their Zoom meeting interface if using the Light theme by applying an additional color theme like Classic (black), Bloom (blue), Agave (green,) and Rose (red).
• Refresh of meeting icons: The appearance of button icons on the meeting toolbar has been refreshed and there are updated names for several features. Some examples include “Share Screen” is now “Share,” “Reactions” is now “React,” and the “End” and “Leave” buttons now have icons.
• Enhanced multi-speaker view: An enhanced multi-speaker view is available for meetings of more than five participants and will highlight current and recent speakers, while still providing a gallery view of other participants.
• Sharing of multiple items: During a meeting, you can share your screen, app window, and Zoom Whiteboards simultaneously, enabling participants to see the shared content in separate tabs within the meeting window.
• Animated reactions: In addition to a wider variety of standard emojis, “React” includes more dynamic animated emoji effects. The “Send with Effect” option produces animated versions of their reactions, with emojis appearing and floating up and around the user.
• Portrait lighting mode: A new portrait lighting setting puts the focus on the participant and dims the lighting in the background.
• Personalized button order: Users can customize the meeting toolbar icons with a drop-and-drag interface, simplifying the in-meeting experience.

Not sure where some of your go-to buttons and features are? They may have moved from where you remember them being. Try searching the “More” (three dots) option to locate them. The items within the More menu can be dragged and dropped back out to the main toolbar.

Rutgers Zoom accounts are free to the university community. A list of benefits and features, instructions on how to download, help and support documentation, and information about securing your Zoom accounts are available the Rutgers Zoom website.

Learn more about this new version of Zoom and the features it offers by reviewing this Zoom news article.