Microsoft is introducing a new feature that will allow Teams chat in the new Outlook for Windows app.

In meetings set up from either Outlook or Teams, with Teams designated as the meeting platform, participants can engage in real-time Teams chat directly within Outlook.

Users can commence meeting chats from several entry points, such as calendar peek, meeting details, context menu, My Day, and reminders.

Harini Palaniswamy, Product at Microsoft, wrote in an accompanying blog:

A new feature that strengthens the integration across Outlook and Microsoft Teams is coming to the new Outlook for Windows: the capability to chat in a Teams meeting from Outlook.”

For admins, the organisation’s Teams meeting chat policy also applies to Teams meeting chats initiated from Outlook. An example Microsoft cites is when chat has been turned off for a meeting until the meeting starts — in that circumstance, the same policy applies to the Teams meeting chat from Outlook. Likewise, the user’s Teams settings oversee whether the meeting chat from Outlook should open in a new window or within the main window in Teams.

If the user doesn’t have Teams installed, the meeting chat will open in the web version of Teams.

The feature is expected to roll out later this month.

Teams Meetings Becoming Easier to Access in 2024

Microsoft seems intent on making Teams meetings and Teams chat more accessible than ever before.

Last week, the tech giant added QR codes and shortened URLs to make it quicker and easier for users to join Teams meetings.

QR codes will be displayed on Teams Room home screens, which users can scan using mobile cameras. This will take users to Teams mobile companion mode, enabling them to participate in meetings or launch an impromptu session. A significant benefit of QR code meeting links is allowing touchless joining by removing the need for meeting details to be entered manually or searching for the relevant meeting through the Teams Room console. Meanwhile

Sharing meeting links has also become simpler by shortening them, making them easier to remember and input. Microsoft’s decision to shorten URLs and eliminate unnecessary symbols and information makes them more convenient for sharing and may encourage more significant participant numbers.

The new features will roll out in April and will be available across Mac, iOS, Desktop, Android, Teams, and Surface Devices.

What Else Did Microsoft Get Up To Last Week?

News broke that Microsoft is preparing to close the Windows 11 Mail and Calendar apps by the end of 2024.

The move intends to encourage Windows 11 users to adopt the Outlook app instead of Mail and Calendar by December 31, 2024. They will no longer provide security or bug updates to the apps following that date, but users can still download the apps in the meantime. The tech giant will also drop the apps from the Microsoft store.

Tata Communications and Microsoft partnered to empower voice calling in Teams for India-based enterprises last week.

The Tata Communications GlobalRapide platform oversees seamless PSTN voice calls for Indian enterprise users and multinational companies operating in India, allowing users to make and receive carrier-grade calls using Teams devices from any location worldwide, leveraging the Operator Connect platform.

Tata wasn’t the only business that Microsoft collaborated with to expand Teams cloud calling within India.

New Teams Phone solutions are now generally available through Airtel, Tata, and Tata Tele Business Services. The new partner solutions grant Teams customers in India with provisioning, easy-to-manage solutions, local support and billing, full-featured calling, and compliance with local regulators.

Microsoft also launched the Microsoft 365 Document Collaboration Partner Program to empower eligible platform providers to integrate Microsoft 365 apps. Consequently, external platform users can share, edit, and co-author Microsoft 365 presentations, spreadsheets, and documents.



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