Microsoft is making its personal feature in Teams available to the public in a bid to grow the platform beyond corporate use.
Microsoft Teams has emerged as one of the premier methods of corporate communication, its popularity boosted significantly by the pandemic and remote work. The company wants to build on that and boost Teams’ popularity among individual users, much like Zoom and Skype.
The company began rolling out personal features last year, and has been testing the features ever since. Today, the personal features are now officially part of Teams, and will make it easy for users to communicate and share content, such as photos, files, calendars, tasks and web links.
Teams will allow one-to-one calls for up to 24 hours free, as well as free 60 minute calls for up to 100 participants. During the pandemic, however, Microsoft waiving that limitation and allowing up to 300 participants to speak for free for up to 24 hours.
Liat Ben-Zur, Corporate Vice President, Modern Life, Search, and Devices, made the announcement in a blog post.
Personal features in Teams are available today, for free, and for people around the world. If you’re using Teams for work, just click on your profile to add a personal account. If you’re new to Teams, you can download the iOS, Android, or desktop app to get started today. You can also use Teams on any web browser, including my personal favorite, Microsoft Edge. Learn more about personal features in Teams.
We’re so excited that Microsoft Teams, which so many of us have come to rely on at work, can now help people connect and get things done with their family and friends. We can’t wait to hear your feedback and look forward to delivering more features over time.