Microsoft's Updated Teams Software Is Quicker, User-Friendly, Uses Less Memory

Microsoft is updating Teams to make it two times faster than the current release with tasks like launching the programme and joining video conversations taking half as long, the company disclosed in a blog post published on Monday.

Teams customers can anticipate a new app that is up to two times faster than the current release, with tasks like launching the programme and joining video conversations taking half as long, the company claimed in a blog post published on Monday.

The redesigned app also provides smoother scrolling without utilising placeholder content.

Microsoft claims that the new Teams consumes 50% less RAM at the same time.

Separately, the company has updated the user interface to cut down on the amount of clicks required to perform operations including managing notifications, conducting information searches, and organising channels.

To make switching between various accounts and tenants simpler, more reliable authentication, synchronisation, and notification systems have also been included.

The new Teams will undoubtedly enable AI features, starting with the intelligent recap and Copilot ones Microsoft promised earlier this year and adding more in the future.

“We will use AI to take the work out of working together by getting you up to speed on what happened before you joined a meeting or chat and answering your questions all in the flow of the discussion,” the company said.

“We’re only just beginning to see the potential of AI inside of Teams, and we will have lots more to share in the future.” 

The 3D avatars that Microsoft has been testing for more than a year are not addressed in the blog article. Expect them to be a part of the new Teams experience as well; the firm just stated that it expects those to become publically available sometime in May.

The new Teams are currently rolling out as a public preview on Windows, with general availability to follow later in the year.

Before the end of 2023, a Mac preview should be available as well. Before you can test out the new experience, your IT staff must enrol you in the preview if your company uses Teams.

It is noteworthy that the updated software will come with a toggle at the top that will let you switch between the two Teams versions.