Download Zoom 5.5.0

Version 5.5.0 of the video conferencing software Zoom has been released. This program makes it possible to attend online meetings, conferences and lectures, among other things. It is available for the most common operating systems and is available in a free and paid version with more features. The following changes and improvements have been made in this release:

Changes to existing features

• Relocated and enhanced attendee view controls for webinars
  The options to push particular video layouts to webinar attendees has been moved from the Participants list to the View Options button, located in the top-right corner of the main video window. The layout options Follow Host’s View, Speaker, Gallery, and Standard (shared content with video thumbnails) now include Side-by-side: Speaker, and Side-by-Side: Gallery while sharing content. Custom Gallery view orders are now supported as well. Webinar attendees can no longer control their view of the webinar, giving the host and co-host(s) exclusive control.
• Persistent non-verbal feedback
  Non-verbal feedback, which is now included in meeting reactions, will return to the previous behavior, in which they are persistent until the attendee or host removes them. This includes the Yes, No, Slower, and Faster options.
• Enhancement to alternative host feature
  If the original host joins after the alternative host, the original host will always regain control of the meeting and become host. In addition, the alternative host will change roles. If the co-host feature is enabled for the meeting, the alternative host will become a co-host. If the co-host feature is disabled, the alternative host becomes a normal participant.

New and enhanced features

• General features
  • Block or allow only participants from specific countries/regions
    When scheduling meetings, the option “Approve or deny entry to users from certain regions and countries” will be available under Advanced Options. Host can either allow only participants from specific counties/regions to join, or block all participants from specific counties/regions.
  • Enhancements to Outlook calendar integration
    If MAPI is enabled, deleted meetings on the client and web will also delete the associated Outlook calendar event, as long as the event was not a web-scheduled recurring or PMI meeting. For On-Premise users, MAPI allows meeting change and deletion syncing.
  • View synced contacts in sub-folders
    If users set up contacts integration and their contacts are organized into sub-folder in the third-party service (Outlook, Exchange, or Google), they can view those sub-folders in the contacts directory.
  • rotating camera
    Users on the desktop client for macOS can now rotate their camera video feed 90°. This can be done multiple times to completely flip the video, allowing for inverted cameras configurations.
  • Additional MSI/GPO options
    • Require new SSO login upon client start – DisableKeepSignedInWithSSO
      Disabled by default, this option will prevent the client from utilizing the last SSO session info, requiring a fresh login for every re-opening of the client.
    • Require new Google login upon client start – DisableKeepSignedInWithGoogle
      Disabled by default, this option will prevent the client from utilizing the last Google session info, requiring a fresh login for every re-opening of the client.
    • Require new SSO login upon client start – DisableKeepSignedInWithFacebook
      Disabled by default, this option will prevent the client from utilizing the last Facebook session info, requiring a fresh login for every re-opening of the client.
    • Set audio signal processing for Windows audio devices – SetAudioSignalProcessType
      Default value is Auto (0), but can also be set to Off (1)(raw audio mode) or On (2)(Windows default signal processing).
    • Audio noise suppression – SetSuppressBackgroundNoiseLevel
      Default value is Auto (0), but can also be set to Low (1), Medium (2), or High (3). The High option requires an audio enhancement package (included in the MSI), and if not present,- the client will revert to Auto.
• Meeting/webinar features
  • Share and play video files directly into meeting
    The Video option under Advanced share options will allow you to choose a video file, which will be opened by Zoom and played in the meeting as shared content. Host has typical video player controls (pause/play, volume control, full screen, video length/elapsed time), which are not seen by other participants during share. MP4 and MOV files are supported, and max video resolution is 1080p.
  • Blurred background
    Users can now choose to blur their background rather than selecting a specific virtual background, providing added privacy when a branded background is unavailable or unnecessary.
  • Share mono or stereo sound
    When sharing content and wanting to share computer sound as well, users can select between mono or stereo audio. Only the user sharing their audio will need to be utilizing this client version or higher.
• Meeting features
  • Meeting reactions for End-to-End Encrypted meetings
    Meeting reactions can now be utilized in E2EE meetings.
  • 1:1 private chat for End-to-End Encrypted meetings
    1:1 private chats can now be utilized in E2EE meetings, allowing for messages to all participants and private messages between 2 participants.
• Phone features
  • SMS for international phone numbers
    Users can send/receive SMS for certain countries/regions. Messages sent to international telephone numbers will be metered according to the international messaging rate table. This feature needs to be enabled by an admin.
  • Support for SMS and MMS messages in a single message bubble
    Text (SMS) and images (MMS) can be shown in a single message bubble. Previously, text and images had to be in separate message bubbles.
  • Add contacts without specifying an email address
    Users can add phone contacts by specifying a name and phone number. Previously, users had to use calendar integration to add contacts without an email address.
  • Additional ringtone
    Users can set their ringtone to a beeping sound.
  • Voicemail notifications
    Users will see a notification when they receive a new voicemail.
  • Group call pickup
    Account owners and admins can use the web portal to create call pickup groups and add phone users as members. All groups members will see call notifications whenever there’s an inbound call to a member. This feature is also supported on certain Yealink devices. This feature needs to be enabled by Zoom.
• chat features
  • Back to previous chat
    The ability to return up to the previous chat channel or contact, as well as go forward. This allows you to respond to an urgent request or message, then quickly return to the channel you were previously working in without needing to search for it among others.
  • Request contact connections directly from chat channel
    When creating a new channel or adding contacts to a channel, a contact request will be automatically sent if the associated email is not already an existing contact. Upon accepting the request, that contact will automatically be added to the channel. These pending requests can also be removed, and the requester will be notified when the request has been accepted.

Resolved Issues

• Security enhancements
• Minor bug fixes