What to know
- Microsoft Teams is launching a redesigned chat and channels experience, combining all communications into a unified interface starting November 2024.
- Users will have extensive customization options, including the ability to keep chats and channels separate, view message previews, and organize conversations into custom sections.
- The update will be available across desktop and mobile platforms, with threaded conversations coming in mid-2025.
Microsoft has unveiled a major redesign of “Teams” to transform user interactions with chats and channels. The new interface, set to launch in public preview this November, aims to streamline collaboration by bringing all communications into one unified space.
The revamped Teams experience combines chats, channels, and meetings under a single interface, eliminating the need to switch between different sections. Users will find new filtering options including “Unread,” “Chat,” “Channels,” “Meetings,” and “Muted” to help them efficiently manage their messages.
The new @mentions view consolidates all direct mentions across different conversations into one interactive list. This makes it easier for users to track and respond to important messages without searching through multiple chats.
The update introduces a “Favorites” section in the left navigation bar, which preserves all previously pinned chats and channels. Users can create up to 50 custom sections with 50 items each, allowing them to organize conversations from chats, channels, meetings, Teams bots, or AI agents in one place.
Microsoft has prioritized user choice in this update, offering controls to customize the experience. Users can choose to maintain separate views for chats and channels, adjust message preview settings, or display all channels in a single list. The company will not force the new interface on users, instead allowing them to configure their preferred setup.
The redesign will be available across all platforms, including desktop, iOS, and Android devices. Additionally, Microsoft plans to begin testing threaded conversations this quarter, with expanded testing in early 2025 and a broad rollout expected by mid-2025.
T-Mobile’s SVP of Technology Operations, Aravind Manchireddy, has already praised the redesign, noting how it has simplified their workplace communication and provided employees with welcome flexibility in how they collaborate.
