Zoom Updated With 'Raise Hand' and 'Thumbs Up' Gesture Recognition on iPad

[MacRumors]

Zoom today announced the latest version of its popular video conferencing app, and one of the key new features is gesture recognition on the iPad, enabling users to use visual gestures to automatically use a corresponding meeting reaction.

The feature currently supports the "Raise Hand" and "Thumbs Up" reactions. If you raise your hand or give a thumbs up in real life, a hand or thumbs up icon will automatically appear alongside your video feed in a Zoom meeting. A raised hand typically indicates that you have a question and would like to be unmuted to speak.

Zoom has also received a new Focus Mode, chat sidebar enhancements, and several other new features, as outlined in the full release notes.

iPad and iPhone users can update to the latest version of Zoom through the App Store.

Article Link: Zoom Updated With 'Raise Hand' and 'Thumbs Up' Gesture Recognition on iPad

 

[TheYayAreaLiving 🎗️]

It’s the littles thing that matter. That’s cool.

 

[- rob -]

Of all the apps in the App Store, all the hardworking indie devs. Is zoom in need of front page articles like this?

Can an editor chime in on how this news was selected? I’m not being snarky here, I genuinely want to understand macrumors decision making process.

 

[alexandr]

now how about middle finger recognition?

 

[velocityg4]

It could get really annoying if they add facial gestures. Such as sad face, frown face, happy face and angry face.

 

[svish]

Nice addition to Zoom. Welcome feature

 

[macguru212]

I can think of a few new gestures to add but they're not particularly nice.

 

[BornAgainMac]

I wish it had avatar support. You can conduct your sales meeting or SCRUM status meeting as a vampire, Sith Lord, a mummy, a Vulcan, a wookie.

 

[kerr]

Long overdue that the iPad camera be moved to the long side of the device

 

[bluespark]

Wouldn't the other meeting participants . . . just see your actual hand?

 

[bluespark]

Long overdue that the iPad camera be moved to the long side of the device

Honestly, I think they need to add a second front camera on the iPad. While your comment is absolutely correct for videoconferencing, a long-side camera would often be covered when needed for FaceID, as people typically hold the iPad in portrait mode for most non-video applications.

 

[velocityg4]

I wish it had avatar support. You can conduct your sales meeting or SCRUM status meeting as a vampire, Sith Lord, a mummy, a Vulcan, a wookie.

I can just picture a Star Trek Fan Club meeting. Everyone being Kirk, Picard, Data or Spock. Add in background changes and AI voice changing. You wouldn't know who is who.

 

[avkills]

Great except almost nobody uses iPad's for ****ing zoom calls in a live presentation sense. How about doing some real upgrades like a "next pin" cue stack that lets you swap from multiple pins to another set of multiple pins, you know, something actually useful.

 

[kaz219]

Zoom has become the Apple of web conferencing. When they introduce a feature, it's automatically something brand new, even when others introduced the feature first.

Case in point, Webex has had the feature for months at least: https://help.webex.com/en-us/kb5tpo/Use-Reactions-in-Webex-Meetings-and-Webex-Events-New

I'm sure other had it as well.

It was the same for Center Stage on iPad, Webex had it for a while already.

 

[CarlJ]

Wouldn't the other meeting participants . . . just see your actual hand?

I'm gonna guess the win is if you have, say, dozens of participants, and someone is presenting a document that's taking the majority of the screen, this makes it easier for the presenter to find out that there are questions or whatever. (I don't use Zoom, so I could be missing something.)

 

[bluespark]

I'm gonna guess the win is if you have, say, dozens of participants, and someone is presenting a document that's taking the majority of the screen, this makes it easier for the presenter to find out that there are questions or whatever. (I don't use Zoom, so I could be missing something.)

Yes, I was mostly joking.

 

[FightTheFuture]

now how about middle finger recognition?

Hah - everyone was thinking this.

 

[alexandr]

Hah - everyone was thinking this.

i've yet to do this on a work call, but hey...

 

[Thebrochure]

With all the things wrong in the world, we still have super-smart people working on things like this...

 

[SurferPup]

Needs a Zoom Bomb button to make it easy those that are less tech savvy and maybe some emojis to match like, 'Watsup?!', 'Who's zooming whom...' and 'Is Ethel turned on in this room? Is this thing on? Can anyone hear me?'

 

[szw-mapple fan]

Wouldn't the other meeting participants . . . just see your actual hand?

Not if someone is screen sharing or they are not viewing the gallery mode. This will show up in the participant list which would be useful for teachers or large conferences.

 

[therockyroad]

Wouldn't the other meeting participants . . . just see your actual hand?

The "Raise Hand" function in Zoom moves your thumbnail to be first on the screen. Helpful for the host to see all the raised hands together at the top (especially in a big meeting with more than 49 participants).

 

[jman88]

Honestly, I think they need to add a second front camera on the iPad. While your comment is absolutely correct for videoconferencing, a long-side camera would often be covered when needed for FaceID, as people typically hold the iPad in portrait mode for most non-video applications.

I feel the same. Ever since getting an iPad Pro, I really want the camera along the long side, because I use it with the keyboard most of the time, so when I FaceTime or use Zoom, I'm always looking off to the side when I'm staring at the screen. It just doesn't make sense. The new iPad mini has the camera along the long-side.

 

[bluespark]

I feel the same. Ever since getting an iPad Pro, I really want the camera along the long side, because I use it with the keyboard most of the time, so when I FaceTime or use Zoom, I'm always looking off to the side when I'm staring at the screen. It just doesn't make sense. The new iPad mini has the camera along the long-side.

I had to do a Zoom meeting from my iPad just yesterday. I looked like I was looking away from everyone the entire time. While the camera location made perfect sense at one time, it's not good for videoconferencing.

 

[jman88]

I had to do a Zoom meeting from my iPad just yesterday. I looked like I was looking away from everyone the entire time. While the camera location made perfect sense at one time, it's not good for videoconferencing.

Exactly. It's really bad actually. I think it was a poor oversight on Apple's part, especially since the iPad Pro M1 (and now some other iPads) have Center Stage and they demonstrate it using it in landscape mode with the keyboard. It would make so much more sense the have the camera in the centre along the length (like it is on a MacBook). I would think that the M1 Pro version, being such an expensive device, should have 2 front cameras for this purpose. Also, iPad OS doesn't have Eye Contact for FaceTime, which is really odd. Perhaps if they added Eye Contact (like they have in iOS), it would help.