Available via the Beta update channel

• Device Selection Menu
• • We’ve introduced an intuitive device selection menu on desktop platforms, accessible from the dropdown menu next to the microphone and camera icons.
• Microphone Test Feature
• • You can now test your microphone with a local recording, helping you ensure clear audio before joining calls.
• Media Sharing Indicator
• • A clear indicator now appears in the user list when a user is sharing media content.
• Enhanced macOS Installation and Accessibility
• • To improve the installation experience, we’ve transitioned from the DMG (Apple Disk Image) format to the .pkg (macOS Package Installer) format. This shift enables direct installation, streamlining setup, and enhances accessibility for users who rely on screen readers. The .pkg format is better compatible with assistive technologies, making the process smoother and more accessible.
• Wacom Tablet Compatibility
• • Resolved an issue where a ‘click’ was not properly registered on certain controls when using a Wacom pen.

We are happy to announce a major update that brings many audio improvements. This update has been designed to significantly improve the overall audio experience for all users.

• Echo and feedback suppression
• • Echo suppression has been further improved to significantly reduce echoes and feedback during meetings.
• Voice clarity
• • Optimized audio processing achieves a much clearer and more natural voice quality.
• Noise cancellation
• • Optimized audio pre-processing minimizes background noise and distortion even more effectively, especially in larger meetings.
• Android compatibility
• • Hands-free functionality on Android devices has been improved, enabling smooth use without a headset.
• Bluetooth performance
• • Bluetooth connectivity has been optimized to ensure lower latency.
• Increased standard volume
• • Output volume now meets industry standards without compromising distortion-free audio quality.
• Improved audio settings
• • The audio settings user interface has been redesigned and simplified, and settings for professional use cases have been added.
• Bug fixes
• • We have fixed an issue where the camera access was not working correctly on some Windows 8.1 installations.

• Filter meetings
• • Users can now filter all their meetings in the meeting list (Planned, Ongoing, Finished). Each filter also displays the total meetings it applies to for quick checking.
• Attendance report UI
• • The UI was reworked to improve the user experience. Additionally when a Last 7 days report is generated, an aggregate report that contains all 7 days can be created.

• Android
• • On Android 13+ devices, alfaview will now ask for permission to post notifications. This permission is used to display a notification in the notification drawer while a meeting or screen share is in progress.
• All platforms
• • Improved performance, usability, and stability of the application.

• Audio
• • Fixed an issue with bluetooth devices which lead to crashes.
• Transcription
• • The following languages have been added for translation:
    Estonian, Indonesian, Japanese, Korean, Norwegian, Chinese (simplified) 
• Waiting room
• • A new option enables moderators to configure a custom message that will be displayed to users in the waiting room as a welcome message.
• Accessibility
• • Two new announcements have been added to improve the accessibility of the waiting room:
    - Announce to users that they have landed in a waiting room.
    - Announce to moderators that a user has entered the previously empty waiting room.

• Audio
• • On Android 14, the application no longer crashes randomly when opening the microphone.
  • Audio input quality on some Android 14 devices has been optimized.
  • Initial latency after connecting Bluetooth devices has been improved.
• Accessibility
• • Some events from alfaview were not announced properly anymore on Windows. 
• Transcription
• • The sidebar displays correctly again after switching groups.

• Audio device issues
• • We fixed various issues when starting or switching audio devices on macOS.

• Company usage statistics
• • Users with the permission Manage company settings can now access company usage statistics in the administration interface to learn more about the activity in their rooms and meetings.

• Room list tree view
• • The tree view of the room list offers intuitive navigation through departments and rooms.
    As this is a new feature and we are still working on it, you have to enable it in the Feature Preview in the Settings to test it out.
• Phone dial-in
• • Dial-in users will be indicated as such in the alfaview room.
• All platforms
• • Improved performance, usability, and stability of the application.

• All platforms
• • We fixed an issue where spectators could not share their screen when they had been granted screen sharing permissions.
• alfaview app
• • We fixed an issue with audio transmission when using the feature Share screen region.

• Join Options
• • When starting alfaview, users can now choose to join via invitation link or log in using their alfaview account.
• Waiting room
• • Moderators now have the option to seamlessly join waiting participants directly from the waiting room interface.
  • It is now easier to manage waiting users with a redesigned, more intuitive interface.
• Linux
• • The alfaview RPM package for RedHat-based systems no longer depends on OpenSSL 1.1.
• iOS
• • We fixed a crash while typing in the login view on some iOS devices.

• Outlook add-in
• • Users will now stay logged in to the add-in for up to 30 days.

• Wording changes
• • The term "Account" has been changed to "Company" in the administration interface.
• Mini Window
• • We added an option to hide the Mini Window when alfaview is minimized.
• New UI in the Tool manager
• • We have updated the design of the Poll / Vote Tool manager. The feature is now easier to operate.

• Wording changes
• • The term "Account" has been changed to "Company" in the alfaview app and the web client.
• Potential issue with audio connections
• • We fixed a potential issue with audio connections breaking when clicking on the same join URL twice in a row.

• Mini Window
• • The Mini Window allows you to maintain visual contact with participants when accessing other desktop applications or sharing the screen.
• Video in the webclient
• • We improved the quality and performance of the Webclient's videos.
• macOS
• • We fixed an issue where alfaview could potentially become unresponsive under macOS after switching audio devices.
  • We fixed an issue on macOS where sharing a region outside of the screen area would display garbled content.

• We fixed an issue where microphone transmission could break, especially (but not limited to) when using a Bluetooth headset and noise suppression.

• Hand-raising feature
  
• • Moderators will now be informed with a visual notification and an auditory signal when a person raises their hand.
• Improved voice activation level settings
  
• • Revamped with a more intuitive, user-friendly interface featuring visual indicators, this new design simplifies the process of adjusting the sensitivity of microphone activation.
  • Detailed instructions for setting the microphone activation level and updates the terminology from ‘voice activation level’ to ‘microphone optimization’ for better user guidance.
  • Optimization Assistant: This assistant supports users in configuring their settings via a speech sample, enabling automated tuning of the voice activation level and identifying any setup problems.
  • For more information, please refer to the Set up Camera and Microphone page.
• Audio device-specific settings
  
• • alfaview now remembers your preferred audio input and output settings for each individual device. This feature includes echo cancellation, noise cancellation, voice activation level and speaker volume.
• Disabled echo cancellation for headsets
  
• • The echo Cancellation feature is now disabled by default for headsets to improve voice clarity.
• Improvements and fixes
  
• • We resolved a compatibility issue that prevented users from installing alfaview on Windows 11 for Arm architecture.
  • We resolved an issue that was preventing alfaview from resetting application settings.

• Enhanced communication devices selection feature to avoid unexpected combinations.

• We are introducing a redesigned, user-friendly and inclusive setup experience.
• Our new audio device selection feature for communication devices makes it easier to select your headset or a custom combination of a microphone and speaker/headphones.
• Get instant visual feedback from your camera and microphone to easily ensure that your devices work as expected.
• Intuitively choose whether you want to share your camera or microphone before joining a room.
• Conveniently access the settings sidebar from anywhere in the app, now also on mobile devices.
• We have optimized the setting of audio and video devices to your last preference.

• Browser-App: The settings panel received a new option to enable debug logs and also a new button to download all available log files.
• macOS-App feature preview: Sharing of screens and screen regions with sound on macOS 13+.

• All platforms: Improved performance, usability, and stability of the application.

• Android: alfaview now requires at least Android 6. This was done in order to comply with Google Play Store requirements.
• macOS: alfaview will now warn if microphone access permissions have been denied.
• All platforms: Improved performance, usability, and stability of the application.

• You can now secure your account with a second factor.
• • The two-factor authentication can be enabled in the advanced profile section of the administration web page.
  • You need the alfaview Client Version 9.2.0 or higher to login if two-factor authentication is enabled for your account.

• Improved performance, usability, and stability of the application.

• Resolved an issue where it was not possible to open the context dialog for scheduled meetings in the home screen.
• Resolved an issue in the home screen where meetings information was only partially visible mainly in narrow screens.
• Resolved an issue where chat notifications could erroneously be heard when leaving the room.
• Resolved an issue where HD camera resolution was not set correctly when it was selected for second camera sharing.
• Browser-App: Resolved an issue with Firefox 116+ where audio output would not be heard.
• Browser-App: Resolved an issue with Firefox where a very small window size would cause camera capturing to stop working.
• Windows-App: When sharing Windows Explorer, alfaview no longer automatically shares application sound to avoid sharing unwanted sounds from other applications.

• New features & improvements:
  With alfaview 9, we’re fully committed to accessibility, inclusion, and providing support for screen readers. We’ve introduced a host of new features and improvements in alfaview 9 with the aim of fulfilling our promise to you: a video conferencing platform that is accessible to everyone and fosters an inclusive environment for all. Our goal is to eliminate barriers and provide a comprehensive user experience.
• • Support for screen readers: To ensure accessibility, we’ve incorporated robust support for screen reader applications into our desktop and mobile apps. If you rely on screen readers, you can now easily navigate through alfaview, participate in meetings, and receive voice notifications about events during the meeting.
  • Keyboard navigation: We’ve made extensive provisions for keyboard navigation in alfaview. With keyboard navigation, you can swiftly move around in alfaview using just a keyboard, making alfaview even more accessible for those who cannot (or prefer not) to use a mouse.
  • Improved contrast & universal design: We’ve made key optimizations to our light and dark display variants and introduced a high-contrast design to enhance text readability and control recognition. We’ve also adjusted the font size scaling, so you can resize the text according to your preference.
  • Keyboard shortcuts: We’ve integrated user-friendly keyboard shortcuts to speed up your interactions with alfaview. These shortcuts speed-up navigation and give quick access to controls. Comprehensive documentation is also available right in the alfaview desktop application.
  • Welcome screen: We’ve designed a new welcome screen to make onboarding easier for new users. You can now familiarize yourself with alfaview and configure accessibility settings even before entering an alfaview room.
  • Performance improvements and bug fixes: We’ve implemented a series of improvements to reduce alfaview’s resource consumption. We’ve also fixed minor bugs and issues to ensure you have the best user experience.
  • And more: We’ve revamped the design of the alfaview user interface, improved the screen content sharing menu and secondary camera support, added full support for tooltips, and optimized the design of the waiting room.
• Sneak peek at upcoming features:
  In addition to these updates, we are excited to offer a first look at some features that are currently in an early stage of development and can be tested through the feature preview.
• • Screen sharing with sound for macOS: You can also broadcast the sound output of the selected application. (macOS 13+)
  • Miniature representation of alfaview: When the alfaview window is minimized, the speaker, participants and some basic functions are displayed in a small window.
  • Smart window management: alfaview will be automatically minimized during screen sharing if you are sharing the screen which alfaview is running on. This makes window management easier when working with only one screen.
  • Confetti effects: Confetti effects can be used by moderators to give gamified reactions during the meeting. To see and control reactions, this feature must be enabled.
  • Highlight microphone when speaking: The microphone icon pulses when the microphone detects noise or speech, providing cues about any background noise.
  • Color coding of users: When using the search function, participants in alfaview are randomly color-coded for easier recognition.
  • Show me first in the speaker view: In the speaker view, you see your own video image in the first position of the participant videos.