Microsoft Teams for iOS picks up background blur in video calls

Microsoft Teams iOS
Microsoft Teams iOS (Image credit: Windows Central)

What you need to know

  • Microsoft Teams for iOS now includes the ability to blur your background on video calls.
  • This feature has been present on the desktop versions of Teams for some time.
  • There's no word yet on whether Teams for iOS will support custom backgrounds.

Microsoft Teams on iOS is finally getting a feature its desktop brethren have had for some time: background blur. In a post recapping new features launched for Teams in April, Microsoft revealed that background blur for video calls is now rolling out for iPhones and iPads.

"Keep the focus on you and not what's behind you on your mobile device! We are excited to bring this frequently utilized feature from the desktop to your iPhones and iPads," Microsoft said in the blog post. "Rolling out now."

Background blur does exactly what it says on the tin. Using a bit of AI magic, it isolates you from your background, blurring out what's behind you and keeping you in focus on your calls. If you have a messy background, or just want to stay in focus, it's a handy feature to have.

The background blur tech is also what Microsoft uses as a basis for its new custom backgrounds feature that started rolling out in recent weeks on desktop. It's unclear if the iOS app will get a similar custom background feature in the future.

As of this writing, the release notes for the iOS Microsoft Teams app have not been updated to reflect the addition. However, it should be making its way to everyone soon via the App Store.

Dan Thorp-Lancaster

Dan Thorp-Lancaster is the former Editor-in-Chief of Windows Central. He began working with Windows Central, Android Central, and iMore as a news writer in 2014 and is obsessed with tech of all sorts. You can follow Dan on Twitter @DthorpL and Instagram @heyitsdtl