Microsoft is revising Teams to make it faster and easier to use. In a released Monday, the company said Teams users can expect a redesigned app that’s up to twice as fast as the current version, with tasks like launching the program and joining video calls taking half the time. The overhauled app also offers smoother scrolling while avoiding the use of placeholder assets. At the same time, Microsoft claims that the new Teams use 50% less memory.
Separately, the company redesigned the interface to reduce the number of clicks needed to manage your notifications, find information, and organize channels. It also added more robust authentication, synchronization, and notification systems to make it easier to switch between different accounts and tenants.
Naturally, the new Teams will support AI features, starting with the smart recap and co-drivers announced by Microsoft earlier this year, with more to come. “We’ll use AI to simplify collaborative work by letting you know what happened before you join a meeting or chat and answering your questions throughout the discussion,” the company said. . “We’re just starting to see the potential of AI within Teams, and we’ll have a lot more to share in the future.”
Not mentioned in Microsoft’s blog post are the 3D Avatars the company has been tested for over a year. The company recently said that it expects these to become publicly available. somewhere in mayso expect them to be part of the new Teams experience as well.
A public preview of the new Teams is rolling out to Windows today, with general availability to follow later this year. A Mac preview should also arrive before the end of 2023. If your organization uses Teams, your IT department will need to sign up for the preview before you can try the new experience. Notably, the redesigned app will come with a toggle at the top that lets you switch between the two versions of Teams.
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