You no longer need to bring out an iPad or iPhone just to use Zoom’s gesture recognition. Zoom has updated its Mac and Windows apps with visual gesture support. Raise your hand or give a thumbs-up and you’ll send the appropriate reaction. As you might imagine, this promises more natural interaction in virtual classrooms and meetings than you’d get from clicking buttons.
The feature requires the latest version of Zoom as of this writing (5.10.3). It’s disabled at the individual level by default, but you can enable it per user, per account or entire groups.
Gesture recognition comes alongside multiple updates that include a revamped Zoom Whiteboard collaboration tool that now exists as a full-fledged feature, not just a meeting extension. A chat etiquette tool helps administrators block or warn about rude behavior, and events now have a “Backstage” that lets organizers and panelists talk without facing the audience. Simply speaking, Zoom is adapting to reflect a world where remote and hybrid workplaces are likely here to stay.