Microsoft has released a unified Teams app, eliminating the requirement to have one app for work or education and another for personal use.
The new feature, which has been long awaited and arguably should have worked this way from the start, allows users to add or select another account with a click in the top right corner. It’s also possible to join meetings as a guest without logging in or selecting a preferred account when joining. A preview of the app was released to Windows Insiders earlier this year.
The app is available for Windows 11, Windows 10 and Mac. Unfortunately, Linux fans will have to stick with the web version for now.
Teams has traditionally been the tool that companies have forced on their users as part of a Microsoft 365 subscription—at least until Microsoft was forced to decouple the collaboration software from its productivity suite. But it hasn’t had the same appeal among consumers.
The situation was further complicated by the confusing requirement that users install multiple Teams apps – one for work and one for personal use – at a time when consumers already have a wealth of chat and collaboration apps at their disposal. In addition to Teams and Microsoft’s own Skype, there are alternatives like WhatsApp, Messenger and so on.
Microsoft wants consumers to adopt Teams, and Amit Fulay, the company’s vice president of product, wrote: “All users, including those with Windows 10 and Mac, can now connect and collaborate with anyone, anytime, for free, when they sign up with a personal email address.”
A unified app will certainly simplify things, but users may still have their preferred ways of doing things outside of the company. ®
