Zoom's new feature helps it compete with Microsoft Teams for immersive meetings

Zoom Immersive View
Zoom Immersive View (Image credit: Zoom)

What you need to know

  • Zoom recently rolled out an update that brings support for Immersive View.
  • Immersive View places people in a meeting within a shared virtual background.
  • The feature is similar to Microsoft Teams' Together Mode.

Zoom's latest update brings support for a new feature called Immersive View. The feature allows up to 25 people to share a virtual background within a meeting. Immersive View is now enabled by default for all free and single Pro accounts using Zoom 5.6.3 or higher, including Zoom on both Windows and macOS. Zoom outlines the feature in a new blog post.

Even if you have the best Windows webcam, your background can appear boring on a call. Meetings can also feel isolating because a bunch of people are just floating in windows. Zoom's new Immersive Mode should improve the feel of meetings.

Immersive View, which was initially announced at Zoomtopia 2020, is designed to make virtual meetings feel more cohesive. Hosts can resize participants and move them around a scene to make it look more natural. Some of the scenes simulate an actual meeting, such as two people sitting behind a table, while others are more fun, like having each participant appear within a picture frame.

Source: Zoom (Image credit: Source: Zoom)

All of this may sound familiar to people who have used Microsoft Teams. Teams has a similar feature called Together Mode. The feature rolled out to Teams on Android devices in November 2020 and was available on desktops before that. It's also on its way to Teams on the web.

Zoom and Microsoft copying features from each other is nothing new. This certainly isn't the last time we'll see similar features on each communication platform.

For Immersive View in Zoom, if you happen to have more than 25 people join a meeting, people that don't fit within the view will appear in a thumbnail strip on the top of the screen. The maximum capacity of a meeting does not change when Immersive View is enabled; it just means that some people will appear as thumbnails.

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Sean Endicott
News Writer and apps editor

Sean Endicott is a tech journalist at Windows Central, specializing in Windows, Microsoft software, AI, and PCs. He's covered major launches, from Windows 10 and 11 to the rise of AI tools like ChatGPT. Sean's journey began with the Lumia 740, leading to strong ties with app developers. Outside writing, he coaches American football, utilizing Microsoft services to manage his team. He studied broadcast journalism at Nottingham Trent University and is active on X @SeanEndicott_ and Threads @sean_endicott_.