Microsoft Teams gets personal so you can meet with friends, family

Microsoft has expanded the availability of free tools in Microsoft Teams for personal accounts so that people can use the app to connect with friends and family.

The company announced the features on 17 May.

The expansion of features is designed to distance the app away from solely being for workplace usage and make it more appealing for personal gatherings.

“As millions of employees around the world know, Microsoft Teams is already a leading solution for work communications and collaboration,” Liat Ben-Zur, Microsoft’s Corporate Vice President for Modern Life, Search, and Devices wrote in a statement.

“Today, we’re announcing the general availability of personal features in Teams to people around the world on desktop, mobile, and web. From online calls that will make you feel like you’re in the same place as your loved ones to group chats that will make coordinating plans with your loved ones a breeze, these personal features in Teams are designed to bring you closer to the people you care about so that you can call, chat, plan, and organize things big and small—together in one place.”

What are the personal features on Microsoft Teams?

Microsoft Teams’ new features are designed to promote family gatherings. It also provides options for users to better manage and organise their everyday lives.

It is also bringing Together Mode, which turns meetings into a shared virtual environment, to regular calls. Users can choose between different environments such as a family lounge, coffee shop, or summer resort.

When in meetings, users can also send live emoji reactions or GIFs that appear in front of their displays.

Users can set up meetings by adding people via their email address or phone number. Once a meeting is set up, they can create and share to-do lists and assign various tasks to participants. Users can also set up polls between participants to help make group decisions.

Once a poll has been taken, users can take actions based on the results. These actions include assigning more tasks or scheduling other group events.

Microsoft said it would add the polls feature to Microsoft Teams in the coming future.

Microsoft Teams and its new personal features are available on iOS, Android, and the Teams desktop app. You can also use Teams on any web browser.

The features are available to users for free.

Feature image: Microsoft

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