RemoteSpark 1.9.96

Released: April 6, 2022

RemoteSpark 1.9.96 is available in the Microsoft Store. It is backwards compatible with our 1.9.93 release.

Updates

Web Client and Instant Assist

Originally planned to be retired and rebooted, both our Web Client and Instant Assist features have been resurrected and improved. While the Web Client remains as an Insider Preview, it currently works across all modern browsers on Windows, MacOS, Android, and iOS.

Changes to WebRTC

RemoteSpark 1.9.96 will feature a significant upgrade to its call quality after changes were made to the underlying WebRTC library. Users will experience higher video quality to their calls as well as quicker stabilization of the video feed when the call initializes.

New Low Bandwidth and Selectable Default Call Settings

Beginning with version 1.9.96 users will be able to override the ‘Recommended’ call settings within the application settings and define their own default call speed. This setting will be persistent with the application and will not be user dependent or travel from device to device. The new lowest call setting will be 80kbps (64kbps video / 16kbps audio).  Essentially this will mean that users can facilitate calls on speeds as low as 128kbps when you factor in extra bandwidth for assets (downloads/uploads).

Call Status Indicator

The call status indicator has a longer timeout associated with its initialization thus preventing it from appearing erroneously for the user. The corresponding voice prompt has been changed to ‘Call Status.’

Improved PDF Holographic Quality

RemoteSpark 1.9.96 will feature more robust handling of PDFs resulting in improved quality displayed to the end user.

Voice Commands’ PDF in Standard Gallery

A PDF summarizing all voice commands has been added to the Standard Gallery for all users.

Retired Features

Removal of Microsoft Office Suite from Supported Documents

With version 1.9.96, RemoteSpark no longer supports the use of .doc/.docx, .xls/.xlsx, and .ppt/.pptx file formats. These files can still be directly shared with the remote worker through the Screen Sharing feature.

Bug Fixes

Permissions Checks

RemoteSpark now gracefully checks for required devices prior to use (camera/microphone on HoloLens, microphone on PC) and alerts the user to missing or disabled devices prior to closure instead of crashing.

Password Reset Bug

A bug that prevented a small portion of users from effectively resetting their password has been patched.

Photo Inking

Photo inking has been refactored and has improved quality and accuracy.