Microsoft recommends upgrading to its new ‘lightning fast’ Teams app — If you want actual support, new features, and important security updates
Microsoft will cut support for its classic Teams client in two months.
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The new notification design.
What you need to know
It’s official now! Microsoft will endsupport for its classic Teams client on July 1, 2024, in favor of itsnew Teams app, which boasts better performance speeds and consumes 50% less memory.
Microsoft was initially slated to automatically upgrade Teams classic users to the new Teams app after March 31, 2024. However, itextended the client’s lifeline, giving users ample time to transition to the new Teams app. With the classic client set to hit its end-of-support in the next two months, Teams classic users are encouraged to transition soon.
After July 1, Microsoft won’t ship any updates, security patches, or new features to the classic Teams client. This decision doesn’t mean that users who fail to make the transition won’t be able to use or access the platform. You’ll still have access to the platform, but it’ll now feature a notification indicating the classic client is no longer supported.
Microsoft has indicated that users running the classic Teams client on unsupported operating systems, including Windows 7, 8, 8.1, and MacOS Sierra 10.12, will receive notifications from August indicating that the app won’t work after October 23, 2024. However, according to a spotby Neowin, users will still be able to access the web version.
Teams classic client is expected to continue running on supported Windows and MacOS operating systems until July 1, 2025.
A bright but different future for Teams ahead?
Microsoft surpassed320 million active monthly users on Teamsin September 2023, and the platform continues to grow and evolve. However, its future remains uncertain, especially after the EU antitrust watchdogforced Microsoft to unbundle Teams from its Office 365 servicesover anti-competitive practices. This decision was despite the companyseparating its services in the European Economic Area and Switzerlandlast year.
Whilecommenting on Microsoft unbundling Teams from Office 365, Steve Weber, professor of the Graduate School at the University of California, Berkeley School of Information:
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“Until the regulators have their foot on their neck, they’re going to hold on to that business strategy for as long as they possibly can. Kicking the can down the road, then they can keep doing this again and again and again. And that’s why I feel people like me are trying to stand up and say we need to find better ways to stop this sooner rather; than like trying to close the barn door three days after the horses run away.”
Microsoft will now provide Teams as a standalone service for new customers for $5.25, whereas the Office package without Teams will range between $7.75 and $54.75. Strangely, while the reorganization of Microsoft’s Office 365 service happened, a new report emerged indicating the company was moving some of its staffers from the Teams Chat app tohelp with Copilot AI projects.
Kevin Okemwa is a seasoned tech journalist based in Nairobi, Kenya with lots of experience covering the latest trends and developments in the industry at Windows Central. With a passion for innovation and a keen eye for detail, he has written for leading publications such as OnMSFT, MakeUseOf, and Windows Report, providing insightful analysis and breaking news on everything revolving around the Microsoft ecosystem. You’ll also catch him occasionally contributing at iMore about Apple and AI. While AFK and not busy following the ever-emerging trends in tech, you can find him exploring the world or listening to music.
