Zoom Adds Focus Mode, Limits Screen Sharing Features

Video conferencing company Zoom is bringing new features to video calls via an update to its service and platform.

The announcement was made in a post on the Zoom Blog, where the company details the new features, including a Focus Mode, limited screen sharing, and a redesigned Zoom Chat.

As the name suggests, Focus Mode rearranges meetings so people only can see themselves, the host, and whatever content is being shared, to help focus on the lesson at hand. Meanwhile, the host can see all participants in a gallery view. Zoom shared that it made the mode with "educators in mind."

Limited screen sharing restricts the screen sharing feature to specific users to prevent leaking sensitive information to guest participants.

The redesigned Zoom Chat will allow participants to know whether a chat is public or private and give them the ability to expand the sidebar. The search bar is now placed in the upper left-hand corner to create a look users might be more familiar with.

The Zoom Phone service now has a privacy feature for shared lines, increasing the level of security and privacy of calls on a shared line. When someone in a shared line group makes a call, others cannot listen in, whisper, or otherwise interrupt the conversation.

This new Zoom Phone privacy feature is only available on mobile phones and not desk phones.

You can find the full release notes detailing this and future updates in the Zoom Help Center. These features all are available in the latest version of the Zoom client.