Microsoft Teams adds support for 3x3 grid and raise hand feature in the latest update

Three years ago, Microsoft announced the Teams collaboration app to compete with Slack and it has come a long way since the launch. Recently, the tech giant announced a few new features for Teams to go head-to-head against other collaborative and meeting apps like Slack and Google Meet.

Today, Microsoft has officially announced the availability of the 3x3 setup for video calls in Microsoft Teams. This will now allow a maximum of 9 participants on a single screen which is an increase from 4 participants originally supported by the app. Last month, Microsoft confirmed on UserVoice that the feature will be available by the end of April but it was delayed. However, starting today, Teams users should be able to see up to 9 participants on a single screen.

While Microsoft officially announced the availability of the 3x3 setup on Twitter, many were quick to point out the availability of the 'raise hand' feature as well. The feature was announced way back in March and it seems to be rolling out to more users. The 'raise hand' feature is available in other meeting platforms and provides a visual cue to the presenter that a participant wants to talk.

Microsoft has seen a boom in Teams usage since the start of the coronavirus pandemic. Last month, Microsoft revealed the service was used to make more than 2.7 billion minutes of calls on March 31 alone. The Redmond giant still has features planned to make working from home easier for Teams users. The upcoming features include AI-powered noise suppression, new admin features, 250 participant limit in group chats, and more.