Microsoft is rolling out a new update to Teams that will increase the group chat size to 250, up from the current 100-member limit. The capability has been listed as being in development in the roadmap and is expected to roll out gradually to all tenants (via Petri.com) by mid-May.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Teams’ usage has skyrocketed. The Redmond giant has been adding multiple new capabilities to cope with and cater to the larger user base, including increasing live event limits, and more. The increase in group chat size might be a welcome addition to those that need more users to get onto a group for sharing information or content.
The firm is also putting in safeguards that make it possible to prevent large chat groups from turning into notification nightmares. Features such as automatic Outlook replies, typing indicators, video and voice calling, and read receipts are turned off by default when more than 20 users enter a group.
Unfortunately, there is currently no way to limit the number of users that can join a specific chat. The Redmond company says that it is a requested feature, but there is no word on if or when the ability to limit user size will make it to the service. There are no changes to the 20 participant limit for calls.
The increased chat limit will gradually roll out to users, so if you do not have it yet, you should receive the capability by the end of the month.