Microsoft reveals new improvements for Teams apps, including reviews and ratings

Many people who use Microsoft's Teams online meeting and collaboration service may not be aware that it also has its own app store. Microsoft confirmed today in a blog post there are now over 2,000 Microsoft Teams apps to download, with more being added every month.

Today, Microsoft announced it has put in some new features and improvements designed to help Microsoft Teams apps be discovered and used by more people.

Perhaps the biggest change for the Teams app store is the addition of ratings and reviews for those apps. Microsoft stated:

Having this information will help influence Teams users’ decisions to start engaging with a new app by fostering confidence and trust based on the experience of others with similar use cases.

Microsoft added it will launch a streamlined Teams app installation method later this spring that will reduce the number of steps to install and use a Teams app. It will also roll out an improved search feature for the store in the coming months. That will include adding in more keywords, searching for reviews, and ranking search results based on an app's usage

One change that's being added to the Teams Admin Center is a new “User requests” tab on the App Details page. Microsoft says:

Through this update, admins will now have additional information about each request, including the requester's name, email, job title, and request date, enabling better-informed app approval decisions while continuing to comply with our user privacy standards.

Teams users who request a third-party app will also get a notification if their admin approves or denies that request. If the request does get approval, the user will get installation instructions for that app.

Teams app developers are also getting some new features. They include no longer requiring activity notifications from admins, member profile pictures on Adaptive Cards, and more.

Microsoft revealed it has been working with the third-party app company Matter to help improve the Teams app experience. Microsoft says that the results have tripled the number of Teams app installs by Matter from 2022 to 2023 and user engagement of that app by 131 percent.