Microsoft Teams "legacy" support on macOS

Microsoft updated the Teams version 1 client this week, and changed its name to "Microsoft Teams (legacy) on macOS. MuteDeck needed to be updated to support that. This is the only change for this release.

New: Support for Plenom Busylights

Good news for those with a Plenom Busylight! MuteDeck v2.4 can now synchronise the meeting status with your Busylight. Turning it red when you're on a meeting, and turning it green when you're available. Check out this tweet for an example.

For more information about this integration, check out this help center article.

Microsoft Teams v2 Support on Windows

Currently in early access, version 2 of Teams is on its way. The Teams interface has changed from v1, and MuteDeck wasn't compatible with v2. This release adds support for Teams v2 on Windows, with macOS coming in the future.

Microsoft has not added the Third-Party API yet in v2, but once they do - MuteDeck will be fully compatible with the Teams API.

Other changes

• Missing Licenses: Given certain conditions, it was possible for MuteDeck to "lose" its license. I've made enhancements that should prevent this from happening - so no more having to reactivate your license.
• Fix a crash on Windows: When a call just ended (or not properly detected with Teams v2), pressing the mute button could crash MuteDeck.
• Easier access to enter a license: Add a button on the 'trial expired' popup to open the enter license window.

Added auto-saving of Custom Actions on any change, eliminating the need to manually press the save button.

Resolved a macOS bug that caused the first triggered Custom Action to be remembered and repeated, even when a different custom action was triggered.

Simplify Custom Actions with the Library Manually adding custom actions can be time-consuming. With MuteDeck's Custom Action Library, you now have a convenient way to enhance your meeting control with just a few clicks.

System Microphone Control By default when MuteDeck doesn't detect a call, it controls your microphone directly. So, if you're on a call app that's not supported, you can still mute! For some, that can be ideal, for some, maybe not. That's why I've added a setting to let you disable the system microphone control.

More info in the blog article, here.

Bring to Front

Added support for the new "Bring to Front" action that pulls the Zoom, Teams, and other application windows to the front. That way the conference call apps are way easier to find when you're multitasking. Pending plugin releases (Stream Deck v8.0, Loupedeck v6.0).

Using a single Custom Action in multiple apps

One of the greatest things about MuteDeck is the ability to use the same buttons in different conference call apps. The initial Custom Actions didn't allow that, so I changed that!

Now, you can create custom actions with the same name. Meaning, you can create a custom action called raise-hand that has the right shortcuts for the right apps. Below is an example for Zoom and Google Meet.

In Stream Deck, Loupedeck, etc., you can select raise-hand as the action, and when pressing the button, MuteDeck will figure out which is the active call app and send the right shortcut. It'll even send it to multiple active calls. 😂

Shortcuts to any app

Maybe you spotted it in the above screenshot; I've also added a new option called "Active Application" to the custom actions. This will send the shortcut to the application window that's active. Any application. Any shortcut. Let that sink in. 😊

So, if MuteDeck does not support your preferred conference call app yet, creating Custom Actions using the Active Application will let you control your calls anyway. In the screenshot above, I used Discord as an example, which uses shift+command+m to toggle mute on macOS.

But it does not have to be limited to call apps. It can be any app and any shortcut. The copy-text action is a perfect example.

Custom Actions!

I'm excited to announce this update includes Custom Actions, a feature that allows you to send any keyboard shortcut to Zoom, Teams, Webex, or Google Meet. Yup, that's right. You can now do anything with MuteDeck! 🤯

Here's a few examples of how you could use Custom Actions: raise your hand, change to the gallery view, open the chat, and so many more!

Single-Action Buttons for Stream Deck

There are also new Single Action buttons that can be used in multi-action buttons. These buttons do only one thing, like unmute, start or stop video, sharing, or recording. Remember, Single Action buttons don't show the current status, you can keep using the Toggle buttons for that.

• Support for Zoom Breakout Rooms on Windows. They already worked on macOS.

• When you clicked a button inside the window and moved your mouse, the window tended to jump. It jumps no more.

• MuteDeck can no longer open itself multiple times. Once is enough, and cloning is still illegal in most countries, so I put a stop to it.

Stream Deck Plugin v5.0 & Loupedeck Plugin v4.0

• New Microsoft Teams actions: toggling background blur, raise your hand, and react with applause, a laugh, like, heart, or a wow emoji.

Chrome Extension v1.3

Minor updates to the Chrome Extension for Google Meet:

• You can now click the MuteDeck icon when you're on meet.google.com and see if the connection to MuteDeck is established. It'll report an error when it's not connected.
• While the plugin still requires the language to be English, it will warn you when the language is detected as something else.

Microsoft Teams Third-Party API Support I am delighted to announce that MuteDeck v1.5 now supports the Microsoft Teams Third-Party API! What is it, you might ask? I'm glad you asked!

The newest version of Teams has a direct communication channel with third-party apps such as MuteDeck. Thus, rather than scanning the Teams interface, MuteDeck can directly inquire about Teams' status and manage it.

This means:

1. MuteDeck supports Teams in all languages now
2. More actions!

The new actions are:

• Toggle background blur on your camera feed
• Raise Hand
• React with: Applause, Laugh, Like, Heart, and Wow

MuteDeck's API (and built-in specifications for developers) has already incorporated these new features. The Stream Deck, Loupedeck, and TouchPortal plugins will follow soon!

Bug fixes I have also corrected a glitch in which Webex was wrongly shown as disabled when it was turned on in the settings.

Note You might need to install an update twice. This is part of optimising the updater, so it can go smoothly in the future.

Important: Version 1.4.3 includes a major improvement for speed and reliability, which involves checking only the necessary applications. This fixes sluggishness in apps that were added later (Webex, Teams).

Zoom and Teams will be enabled by default, but if you use other apps, you can enable them in the settings under the new section called "Application Sync":

The first time you launch v1.4.3, it'll open the settings dock automatically and call attention to the settings.

But wait, there's more!

• Added support for Windows users to make personal direct calls using Cisco Webex.
• Added support for an upcoming TouchPortal plugin.
• Improved the interface on Windows.