In October, Microsoft officially launched the new "2.0" version of its Teams online chat and meeting app for Windows and Mac users. This week, the company revealed that the new Teams app is now generally available for its virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) users after a period of public preview testing.
In a blog post, Microsoft stated the new Teams app for virtual desktops has the same features as the new Teams app for Windows and Mac platforms. That includes taking up much less storage space and using less memory than the "classic" Teams app, along with faster overall performance.
The new Teams app also has features made specifically for virtual desktop users and their admins. They can use one installer for the app for both the normal desktop and the virtual desktop, and there"s also an option to automatically update the app in the virtual desktop environment.
Microsoft added:
With new Teams, admins can now leverage application management tools like Microsoft Intune to simplify app deployment and updates through silent installation and removal. Further, it can improve the reliability and efficiency of installing the new Teams app, while saving network bandwidth and disk space, and reducing idle memory consumption. Also, the MSIX packaging format makes sure Teams is covered by Windows security features, and you get the newest app version with security updates and bug fixes. The new Teams is compatible with MSIX App Attach, making it even easier to deliver the application to Azure Virtual Desktops.
With the general availability of the new Microsoft Teams app for virtual desktop customers, the "classic" Teams app will soon be retired. Microsoft stated it will no longer receive any new features. It will reach the end of its offical support on June 30, 2024. After that date, anyone still using the classic Teams app will be automatically asked to use the new Teams version.