Microsoft Teams Adds Personal Features For Collaboration With Family And Friends

Microsoft has announced the global rollout of personal features in Teams, now available on iOS, Android, desktop, and web.

Millions of employees around the world use Microsoft Teams to communicate and collaborate with coworkers, but the concept of collaboration extends beyond work, as families also need similar tools to connect, plan, coordinate, and share online.

That’s why Microsoft is extending Teams to family and friends, with several new personal features that let you manage your personal life on the same app that you use for work.

Here are some of Teams features you can now use for free with your friends and family.

Together mode. This feature uses AI to place call participants in a virtual background, decreasing brain fatigue, and making meetings more fun. It’s a fun way to turn regular video calls into a shared virtual environment, making you feel like you and your family or friends are in the same room.

Live emoji reactions. Live emoji reactions and GIFs help break the monotony – and help users express emotions, ideas, and jokes, during conversations.

Chat messages that don’t disappear. Unlike other live video chat platforms, Teams lets you catch up with what was discussed during a call even after it has ended, as chat messages won’t be deleted as soon as everyone hangs up.

Easy access. Microsoft Teams can be accessed by everyone, on any device and browser – and all using the same link. Adding participants to a group chat on Teams is straightforward but it can also be done via SMS. This way, there’s no need for any attendee to sign up to Teams prior to entering a video chat.

Microsoft has announced the global rollout of personal features in Teams, now available to all and for free on iOS, Android, desktop, and web.

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Task management. Once in a group, you can create a shared to-do list, assign tasks to group members, edit suggestions, cross-off done items, and make decisions based on poll results, further blurring the line between life and work.

To get started with personal features on Teams, download the app on iOS, Android, or desktop. If someone doesn’t want to do so, they can also access the service on the web. The features are now available to all, globally.