Zoom just rolled out a major set of upgrades, and if you’re watching the collaboration space closely, this is more than just a routine refresh. It’s a signal: Zoom wants to own more of your workday.
The June 30, 2025, updates position Zoom as more than a video meeting app. It’s now a serious platform play, pushing deeper into Microsoft Teams and Google Meet territory—but with a twist.
1. AI Companion – Meeting Prep Meets Real-Time Memory
Zoom’s AI Companion now auto-generates meeting agendas and takes live notes. This isn’t just smart—it’s contextual. Zoom’s betting that pre-meeting structure combined with in-meeting recall is the future of knowledge work. Think of it as what Google Docs did for collaboration, now embedded into real-time meetings. This means those emails from Read.ai, Fireflies and Otter, all which tell you “what’s up next” just got made redundant. But, there are services out there like Notis and TheLibrarian, which give you more assistant like support, with greater ability to dive more deeply into your own notes, files and emails than Zoom does.
Microsoft Teams Copilot has something similar, but Zoom’s seamless tie-in to calendar and meeting flow feels more focused and less clunky. Google Meet’s AI tools still lean too heavily on external Docs integration rather than native functionality.
2. Far-End Audio Control – Collaborative, Not Just Centralized
Participants can now adjust each other’s audio. It sounds small, but it’s a big win for those of us who run dynamic meetings. No more “can you mute?” moments. Instead, think of this as democratized audio engineering—helping the group stay in sync without interruptions.
Neither Teams nor Meet offers this level of participant-side control. Zoom just nudged the ergonomics of meetings forward.
3. Reactions with Collaborative Effects – Social Glue for Remote Teams
Reactions in Zoom now trigger collaborative effects—think emojis that animate and ripple across participants’ screens. It might sound gimmicky, but in practice, it adds texture and mood, especially when you’re not all in the same room. It’s a subtle psychological win.
Teams tries to be professional; Meet tries to be minimal. Zoom adds just enough fun without feeling like a toy.
4. On-Device Captions – Accessibility Meets Reliability
Zoom’s real-time captions are now generated on your device. This isn’t just a performance upgrade—it’s a smart connectivity hedge. You still get accurate captions even when bandwidth is less than ideal.
This is where Zoom pulls ahead of Meet and Teams, which still rely on cloud processing for captions. For global teams, especially those in bandwidth-constrained regions, this matters.
5. Smart Gallery Upgrade – Hybrid Equity
Support for up to 24 participants in Zoom’s smart gallery now includes improved layouts. This levels the field between remote and in-room participants, enhancing visual equity and interaction—something hybrid meetings desperately need.
Teams Rooms are robust, but expensive and IT-intensive. Google Meet’s approach works only in small rooms. Zoom’s enhancement here plays well for mid-sized teams that want plug-and-play flexibility without skimping on UX.
Bottom Line: Zoom is quietly redefining the post-pandemic workspace. These aren’t just feature checkmarks—they’re quality-of-life improvements that show Zoom understands the hybrid reality better than most. With AI doing the heavy lifting, the future of meetings might finally feel less like work and more like progress.
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