Microsoft has begun informing IT admins that the existing Teams client on desktop will be automatically updated to the new Teams in a few months.
Key Takeaways
- Microsoft is phasing out the “classic” version of Teams and recommending IT admins to transition to the new version by March 31, 2024.
- The new Teams client offers improved performance and capabilities, with faster speed, simpler interface, and reduced memory footprint.
- New features and enhancements will only be added to the new client, making it essential for users to migrate to the updated version for future capabilities.
Microsoft has been improving its Teams offerings on multiple fronts lately. Just a couple of days ago, it announced that it is replacing the Chat app in Windows 11 with Teams free through the rollout of Windows 11 version 23H2, and also detailed the availability of the new Teams app on Windows and Mac desktop clients. Now, it seems that the company is intent on getting rid of the current “classic” version of Teams within a few months.
Petri reports that the Microsoft 365 admin center has begun showing an announcement which indicates that the classic Teams desktop client will automatically be updated to the new version from March 31, 2024. As such, the Redmond tech firm is recommending IT admins to consider rollout options such as “Microsoft controlled” and “New Teams only” to ensure a smooth transition. It is important to note that this timeline does not affect Teams clients on Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI), Teams Rooms, or Surface Hub hardware.
Microsoft has been touting the performance and capabilities of its new Teams client fairly heavily recently. This includes claims about it being faster and simpler, and having a 50% reduction in memory footprint compared to the previous app, ensuring optimal performance. The company says that the new Teams client has parity with “almost” all existing features such as breakout rooms, 7×7 video, call queues, contextual search in chat, and more. For those unaware, the updated client is based on React rather than Electron – which is used by classic Teams.
However, it is perhaps most important to understand that any enhancements or new features will only be added to the new client, so it’s better to kick off your migration process right now. The new Teams will also receive capabilities much faster due to the way it is designed; with flexibility in mind.
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