Collaborate with a Dynamics 365 Remote Assist user with Microsoft Teams desktop for PC or Mac

When you use Microsoft Teams desktop for the PC or Mac, you can collaborate with people using Dynamics 365 Remote Assist on HoloLens (in this article, a "Dynamics 365 Remote Assist HoloLens user") or Dynamics 365 Remote Assist on a mobile device (in this article, a "Dynamics 365 Remote Assist mobile user").

Dynamics 365 Remote Assist supports new Teams seamlessly. No migration required. Learn more: New Microsoft Teams app.

The features you can use to collaborate differ depending on which platform the Dynamics 365 Remote Assist user is using.

Collaborating with Dynamics 365 Remote Assist HoloLens users versus Dynamics 365 Remote Assist mobile users

Key terms

In Dynamics 365 Remote Assist:

• A meeting is a call scheduled through Microsoft Teams. A meeting can include one or more participants.
• A one-to-one call is a call between two people that isn't scheduled through Teams.
• A group call is a call with more than two people that isn't scheduled through Teams. To create a group call, start with a one-to-one call, and then add more participants.

Launch Teams

• Launch the Teams app.

Make and take calls

Accept a call

• When you see an incoming call notification in the bottom right side of your screen, select Audio or Video to join the call.

Call a Dynamics 365 Remote Assist user who is in your organization

1. After launching Teams, select the Calls tab to see suggested contacts.

2. Select the Video button on the contact card to call a suggested contact, or use the search bar to find a contact and call them.

Call a Dynamics 365 Remote Assist user who is outside your organization

You can search, call, or receive a call from a Dynamics 365 Remote Assist user in another organization if your organization is federated with that organization. When searching for this Dynamics 365 Remote Assist user, you must enter their full email address.

Make a group call

1. Start by calling one person, and then select Open Participants ().

2. Search for the person you want to call, and then call them.

Learn more about who can join a group call.

Schedule and join a meeting with a Dynamics 365 Remote Assist HoloLens user

Schedule a meeting ahead of the call

Check out the following links:

• Schedule a meeting in Teams

• Watch a video on managing Teams meetings

Join a Teams meeting

Check out the following links:

• Join a meeting in Teams

• Watch a video on joining a Teams meeting

If the Dynamics 365 Remote Assist HoloLens user is invited to the meeting, they can sign in to Dynamics 365 Remote Assist, and then select Join Meeting at the bottom of the Recent Contacts page.

If the Dynamics 365 Remote Assist HoloLens user isn't invited to the meeting, but you would like them to join the meeting:

1. Join the meeting, and then select Participants from the Call Controls toolbar.

2. Start typing their name, and then call them.

Adjust what you see

Teams tries to anticipate what you want to see in a meeting, and you can also manually pin a video, reframe a video, and more.

Example of a Teams recording of a call with two participants:

Example of a Teams recording of a call with more than four participants:

If you want the recording to capture the exact layout of the call you configure, use the Windows Game Bar to capture a screen recording of your computer.

Use call controls

When you're in a call, you see the call controls at the bottom of the screen.

Button	Description
	Control outgoing video
	Control outgoing audio
	Share your desktop or a running application (with a Dynamics 365 Remote Assist HoloLens user only)
	Open a chat window to send text messages
	See current participants, or add more

To use more features, select the More […] button. For example, select Blur my background if you have sensitive information behind you or want to protect the privacy of colleagues who are behind you. When you are in a group call or meeting with a Dynamics 365 Remote Assist HoloLens user, the More […] button provides the option to record the call.

Add annotations in the Dynamics 365 Remote Assist user's environment

When you're in a call, you see your collaborator’s space, including holograms, and can use the Mixed Reality toolbar to add annotations.

Begin editing

To start annotating, first do one of the following to pause the video stream and enter edit mode:

• Select anywhere in the call window.

• Select one of the items on the Mixed Reality toolbar.

• Select Start editing.

In edit mode, the expert sees a live stream of the call in the corner of the app window, including the annotations that other call participants add.

Add arrows, ink, and files

Use the Mixed Reality toolbar to place arrows, draw, or add files in the HoloLens user's space. The following table describes the buttons in the Mixed Reality toolbar.

Button	Description
	Add an arrow.
	Add ink (draw).
	Insert a file in the HoloLens user's space. You can select an image or PDF file from OneDrive or from your device.
	Change the arrow or ink color.

Finish editing

When done annotating, do one of the following actions:

• Select Stop editing.

• Select the live video feed in the corner of your screen.

Make changes to your edits

To make changes to your edits:

• While in edit mode, select Undo to undo the last action.

• While in edit mode, select Erase all () to erase all of the annotations made during that editing session.

• While in live mode, select Erase all () to erase all of the annotations made during that call.

Minimize the Mixed Reality toolbar

The Mixed Reality toolbar appears by default whenever you join a new call with a Dynamics 365 Remote Assist user.

If you want to focus on the video stream from the HoloLens user, you can minimize the toolbar by selecting the MR Toolbar button.

To restore the toolbar, select the MR Toolbar button again.

Annotate a 2D snapshot

Dynamics 365 Remote Assist enables users to take 2D snapshots of their environment and mixed-reality annotations, and annotate them during a call. Snapshots are critical in situations where a still image might be needed to add annotations. These snapshots can be used for reference later or work validation. Snapshots can also be utilized in low-bandwidth situations.

When a Dynamics 365 Remote Assist user takes a snapshot, the video feed freezes. They can then start editing to begin adding annotations. After both call participants are finished annotating the snapshot, the Dynamics 365 Remote Assist user can select the check mark to exit from annotation mode, and can choose to save the snapshot.

Annotations are displayed only during the snapshot session. When the Dynamics 365 Remote Assist user exits Snapshot mode, annotations from that snapshot session are removed.

For more information, check out the following links:

• Using snapshots

• Low-bandwidth situations on HoloLens

• Low-bandwidth situations with the mobile app

Share files

You can share a OneDrive file or local file with a Dynamics 365 Remote Assist user. Supported files include .jpg, .bmp, .png, .tif/.tiff, .pdf, and still .gif.

Share files with a Dynamics 365 Remote Assist HoloLens user

Use one of the following methods to share files with a Dynamics 365 Remote Assist HoloLens user:

• In the Mixed Reality toolbar, select Add file () to share a file from OneDrive or your computer. The file is uploaded in your personal OneDrive and permissions to access that single file is granted to call participants.

• From the Teams chat, select Attach file to share a file from OneDrive or your computer.

When you share a file, it appears as a new window in the Dynamics 365 Remote Assist HoloLens user's space and a link to the file is shared in the chat. All call participants can annotate a file displayed in the Dynamics 365 Remote Assist HoloLens user's space.

Share files with a Dynamics 365 Remote Assist mobile user

• From the Teams chat, select Attach file to share a file from OneDrive or your computer. When you share a file with a Dynamics 365 Remote Assist mobile user, it's sent in the Dynamics 365 Remote Assist mobile text chat.

To access the file after the call:

• Any call participant can find the link to the file in the Teams chat.

• During the call, the Dynamics 365 Remote Assist HoloLens user can save the file to their OneDrive by tapping the OneDrive icon in the top-right corner of the window. The file is then automatically saved to a OneDrive folder called HoloLens Received Files.

Share your desktop or application window (with a Dynamics 365 Remote Assist HoloLens user only)

You might want to share your desktop or application window with a Dynamics 365 Remote Assist HoloLens user. Sharing is useful if you want to communicate information that isn't in a supported file type (.jpg, .bmp, .png, .tif/.tiff, .pdf, and still .gif.). For example, you might share an instructional video playing in your browser, or a series of instructions embedded in a PowerPoint presentation.

To share your desktop or a running application:

1. Select Share.

   

2. Select the application window you want to share, or share your screen.

Record a call

You might want to record the Dynamics 365 Remote Assist call for documentation or record-keeping purposes. Read the following comparison chart to understand the three options for recording a call. Keep reading to learn more about each option.

Comparison chart: Three ways to record a call

Create a cloud-based recording using Teams or Dynamics 365 Remote Assist

The comparison chart mentions that when you create a cloud-based recording using Teams, the recording screen is divided evenly among the call participants. See the following examples.

Recording layout when call includes two participants

In a call recording with two participants, each participant’s outgoing video (or avatar) occupies one half of the recording, and both halves are vertical. During a Dynamics 365 Remote Assist call, a Teams desktop user sees a horizontal slice of the HoloLens user's view, but the recording only captures the middle vertical slice of the HoloLens user's view. Furthermore, during the Dynamics 365 Remote Assist call, the Teams desktop user only sees their outgoing video feed in the corner of the call, but in the recording, the Teams desktop user's outgoing video feed occupies half the recording. (If the Teams user turns off their outgoing video feed, their avatar occupies half the recording.)

Recording layout when call includes three participants

In a recording with three participants, each participant’s outgoing video (or avatar) occupies one third of the recording. During the Dynamics 365 Remote Assist call, the Teams desktop user only sees their outgoing video feed in the corner of the call, but in the recording, the Teams desktop user's outgoing video feed occupies one third the recording. (If the Teams user turns off their outgoing video feed, their avatar occupies one third of the recording.)

Recording layout when call includes four participants

In a recording with four participants, each participant’s outgoing video (or avatar) occupies one fourth of the recording. During the Dynamics 365 Remote Assist call, the Teams desktop user only sees their outgoing video feed in the corner of the call, but in the recording, the Teams desktop user's outgoing video feed occupies one fourth of the recording. (If the Teams user turns off their outgoing video feed, their avatar occupies one fourth of the recording.)

Recording layout when call includes four or more participants

A recording including four or more participants splits the horizontal recording into four, with remaining participants’ avatars in the bottom-right corner of the recording.

How to initiate a cloud-based recording

If you're in a group call or meeting, go to the call controls, select the More […] button, and then select Start recording. A call recording ends if:

• You select Stop recording.

• The Dynamics 365 Remote Assist call ends.

If you're in a one-to-one call, ask the Dynamics 365 Remote Assist user (HoloLens or mobile) to initiate the recording.

The person who initiates the recording owns the video. When a recording ends, it begins uploading to OneDrive or SharePoint. Once the video is uploaded, the recorder receives an email notification, and all call participants can view a link to OneDrive or SharePoint via the Teams chat. The owner is the only participant who can give permission or download the video to share the recording beyond these people.

If your admin configured the Dynamics 365 Field Service integration, you can access the recording link and can post it in a Dynamics 365 Field Service work order.

Record your Teams desktop screen using Windows Game Bar

If it's imperative that your recording captures as much of the Dynamics 365 Remote Assist HoloLens user’s view as possible, and as little of the Teams user’s outgoing videos (or avatars) as possible, consider recording your desktop screen using the Windows Game Bar.

Initiate a recording of what the Teams desktop user sees during the call

1. Join a Dynamics 365 Remote Assist call using the Teams desktop application.

2. Press the Windows logo key () + G to open the Game Bar.

   

3. Select the Start Recording button (or press Windows logo key + Alt + R).

   A small recording menu appears that shows that the recording is in progress.

   

4. To stop recording, select Stop Recording.

   The video of the recording appears in your Videos/Captures folder.

Learn more about the Windows Game Bar.

Record the HoloLens user's view using the HoloLens OS

Learn about how the HoloLens user can use the HoloLens OS to record what they see.

Send a text message

During a call, participants can communicate through the text chat. The chat log is available through Teams after the call ends.

From the call controls, select Text Chat ( to open the chat. The Dynamics 365 Remote Assist user can only see messages exchanged during the call, but you might see messages exchanged before the call.

You can also attach a OneDrive or local file through the Teams chat Attach file feature.

File a support ticket

If you encounter an issue that's blocking you from using the application, file a support ticket. Microsoft support works with you until the issue is resolved.