Microsoft extends its iOS and Windows 10 Whiteboard app to Android devices and Teams.
When Microsoft announced the new Surface Pro back in 2017, they also introduced Whiteboard, a collaborative digital inking app for Windows 10. In 2018, they extended the Whiteboard app to iPhones. This week they announced that Whiteboard will soon be available for Android devices, as well as Microsoft Teams.
A collaborative tool to help remote workers
Whiteboard is, at its core, a collaboration app. It allows colleagues and teams to quickly comment on ideas using the digital equivalent of a whiteboard. The app can work when everyone is in the same room, or it can work remotely on several devices.
While working together, Teams members can keep up with the changes that other users are making in real-time. Such iterations could include adding images, diagrams, or sticky notes. The app focuses on pen and touch input. It also comes with a range of built-in inking tools. These include rulers and various pen styles. Whiteboard can also take recognize freeform drawings, turning them into standard shapes, according to Microsoft.
Here’s how it works
Ian Mikutel, Sr. Product Manager Lead on Microsoft Whiteboard, made the announcement in a blog post. “For projects and longer-term discussions, you can now create a whiteboard associated with a Teams channel or chat,” he writes.
“Members of the channel or chat can iterate and collaborate on the whiteboards over time. To enable, simply click the “+” button at the top of any Teams channel or chat to Add a tab, search “Whiteboard,” and follow the prompts to name your whiteboard and optionally post to notify the channel or chat that Whiteboard is now enabled.”
During private beta testing, Microsoft says it saw a number of teams use Whiteboard to collaborate on product designs, engineering plans, and remote brainstorming sessions. Now that it’s in public preview, more users and organizations will be able to test the app out ahead of its full, official launch.
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