The new version of the Microsoft Teams app became generally available less than a month ago, on October 5, for Windows and Mac users. At the moment, users still have the choice of switching between the "classic" version of the Teams app and the new version. However, there"s word that the transition will be relatively short.
Petri reports that a message in the private Microsoft 365 admin center states that the classic Teams apps for Windows and Mac will automatically update to the new Teams app after March 31, 2024. The message was made for IT admins who are in charge of maintaining Teams at their companies.
Microsoft stated those admins should make plans to prepare for the auto switch from classic to new Teams. That will include setting up the Teams update policy to “Microsoft controlled” and also using the “New Teams only" setting.
The message added that this automatic update won"t be made, at least for now, for Microsoft Teams Rooms and Surface Hub devices. It also won"t currently affect the use of classic Teams in Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) systems. At the moment, the new Teams apps is still in a public preview stage for VDI users.
Microsoft has stated the new Teams apps for Windows and Mac perform twice as fast compared to the older classic apps. The new apps also are supposed to let people enter meetings twice as fast. The new apps have also been made to use less memory and disc space.
The new Teams apps were in a public preview mode for several months before they were declared generally available in early October. Microsoft says that the new Teams now have reached "full feature parity for almost all features" compared to the classic Teams apps. Going forward, new features will be added only to the new Teams apps.