Software Update: Zoom 5.8.3

Version 5.8.3 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. In version 5.8.3 the following changes and improvements have been made:

New and enhanced features

• General features
  • Additional MSI/PLIST/GPO/MDM options
    • Prevent use of Remote presentation control – DisableSlideControl
      Disabled by default, this option will disable the remote presentation control feature on the client.
• Meeting/webinar features
  • Polling enhancements for quizzing
    Account owners and admins can enable advanced polling to allow meeting hosts to build advanced polls or quizzes that contain multiple question/answer types, allow for images, and automatically record answers. New question/answer types include match combinations, rank answers, and fill in the blank.
  • Presentation slide control
    Control progression of presentation slides without needing to ask the participant sharing the presentation for the next slide. Support presentations in Google Slides, Powerpoint, and Keynote. The account owner and admins can enable this for use at the Account-, Group-, and User-level web settings.
  • Profile photos for in-meeting chat
    In-meeting chat now displays the participants’ profile photos, just as they appear in Zoom Chat. If no image is available for a participant, the participant’s initials appear. The account owner and admins can enable this for use in the Account-level web settings, and users can also control this feature in the client settings as well.
  • Optional Reclaim Host when rejoining
    When the original host of a meeting rejoins, they are now given the option to reclaim host controls or remain as a participant or co-host, in order to not disrupt the current host.
  • Prevent display name changes when SAML mapped
    Administrators can configure SAML mapping so that the desktop client blocks SSO users from changing their display name when joining a meeting with the Join button.
  • Full availability of Live Transcription
    As promised earlier this year, Zoom’s Live Transcription service is now available for Free accounts. This enhancement provides access to Live Transcription for all account and user types. Live transcription must be enabled in the User-level Settings page for use in meetings and webinars.
  • Seasonal scenes for Immersive View
    Zoom is adding additional fall and Halloween themed scenes for use in Immersive View.
• Meeting features
  • Two-way chat with Waiting Room participants
    The meeting Host and Co-hosts can now chat back-and-forth with participants in the Waiting Room. Waiting Room messages can be sent to all participants in the Waiting Room or just individual participants. Only the host/co-host can see responses from those in the Waiting Room. This feature requires client version 5.8.0 or higher.
• chat features
  • Unread message badge in search results
    The search results for contacts and channels include the unread badge counts for each. For high volume users who receive a constant influx of new messages, these badge counts help to visually differentiate between contacts and channels that would otherwise all look the same.
  • Enhancements to @ mentions page
    The @ me mentions page now indicates which messages are unread.
  • Highlighted @ mentions
    When you are mentioned in a channel or multi-user chat, the message you are mentioned in will be temporarily highlighted in the conversation.
  • Chat history button
    Accessing your history of recent chats now has a dedicated button. This provides quick access to the 10 previous chats you accessed, including channels, 1-on-1 chats, and unnamed multi-user chats.

Resolved Issues

• Minor bug fixes
• Security enhancements
• Resolved an issue regarding delays/freezes when connecting to meetings
• Resolved an issue regarding country codes not being filtered by selected country
• Resolved an issue for a subset of users regarding the inability to share again after pausing and then stopping sharing
• Resolved an issue regarding video panels being randomized when setting a custom order
• Resolved an issue regarding the camera rotation resetting for each meeting