Often times, the key difference between a good app experience and a great one boils down to simplicity and ease of use. You can add a lot of bells and whistles to impress and entice users but what will likely get you through the finish line (read active user engagement) is the overall user experience. In keeping with that spirit, we are releasing a series of improvements to our desktop and mobile apps with our latest July release. The rollout starts this week with a few of the enhancements coming over the next several weeks.

Desktop Experience:

  • Meet Now video icon is now in 1:1 chat header to start video meetings instantly
  • Direct Transfer icon for easy call transfer from call logs and directory
  • New Profile Panel replaces the native menu to give it a more modern look and feel
  • A more streamlined incoming call pop-up
  • In progress call is indicated as an Active Call with a label to show whether the call is via a ring group or a call queue. A small lock image also appears in the label to indicate calls are secure
  • A proactive Do Not Disturb (DND) banner notification to remind users that the DND status is ON
  • Shortcuts to quit the app and change presence indicator on Windows
  • Ability to remove the default screenshot that gets attached automatically when a user submits feedback. You can also attach multiple files (up to 3 images, max 10MB each)

Mobile Experience (complements the desktop version)

  • Keep your conversations organized with new multi-tabs in Team Chat - All, 1-1 and Rooms
  • Ability to remove a conference participant from a call

In the coming weeks, you will also have a Calendar Based Status feature that allows you to sync your Virtual Office status with your calendar. Once enabled, your presence status will be automatically updated based on your calendar events, be it Outlook, Google, Exchange, Office 365, or iCloud. You will also be able to customize the presence indicator as well as status text. This is a great way for coworkers to check your availability as well as set expectations when you are slow to respond to messages.

You can access all the latest features by downloading the latest 8x8 desktop app 6.9 version and 8x8 mobile app 9.1 version on iOS and Android.

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