New Lync app for Windows 8.1 now available

Many of you have installed the Windows update and are enjoying the new, cool features of Windows including a new Skype app.  If you haven’t upgraded yet, you now have another great reason – the new update to Lync is available today and only for Windows 8.1. We kept a close eye on your reviews and comments in the Windows Store as well as other channels of feedback.  Based on your feedback, we made a number of improvements in this update that we think you’ll like. Here’s an overview of what’s new:

Take control of shared screens or apps    During a Lync Meeting with app sharing or screen sharing, take control of the sharing started by someone else in the meeting.

 

 
 
 

 Take control of app and screen sharing

 

Run Lync side-by-side with another app at any window size     Use apps side-by-side when you need to reference another app or website while using Lync. You aren’t limited to the old 320 pixel snapped size; you can make the Lync window any size you want.

 

Lync side-by-side with Excel

 

Answer audio and video calls on the lock screen     Answer audio and video calls quickly when your device is locked, without having to unlock it. 

 Answer calls on lock screen

Mute and Control Call Volume from inside Lync     Mute the speakers orcontrol the volume of your call from the conversation window without affecting your Windows speaker volume.

 

Mute or control the volume of your conversation

 

In-app contact search     Find your contacts faster, with a simple, in-app contact search.

In-app search

Sign in reliably    This update includes a number of improvements to the sign in experience so that you can more easily connect and stay connected.

 

To learn more about all that the app can do, look through our online Help topics.

 

To download the update, you need to first upgrade your device to Windows 8.1.  Once you have Windows 8.1, Lync will upgrade automatically within 24 hours unless you have turned off Automatically update my apps in Windows Store. To get the update sooner,
search for  Lync and click Install.

 

We are proud to bring you this new version of Lync, and are excited to continue adding features, improve performance and make the app better. Please leave us feedback and give us a new or updated rating in the Windows Store, or leave feedback in the blog comments so  that we know what you would like to see in future updates.

 

Have fun using Lync!