Windows 11 is putting Microsoft Teams front and centre
Microsoft Teams chat feature integrated into the Windows 11 taskbar
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The latest tease ofWindows 11has suggested thatMicrosoftTeams will play an even more prominent role than expected in the new software platform.
The new build is set to integrate theMicrosoft Teamschat feature directly into the taskbar inWindows 11, allowing users to start chats orvideo conferencingcalls with just a few clicks.
New preview builds of Windows 11, as pictured above, have shown that the software will have a dedicated button for the Microsoft Teams chat app alongside all the usual options within the taskbar.
Microsoft Teams Windows 11
The addition was discovered byBleepingComputer, which found that for now, the feature remains pretty basic, with users only currently able to sign in, add contacts, and connect via individual and group chats.
The feature appears to be closely linked to the Microsoft Teams desktop client, as users clicking on the chat button in the Windows 11 preview will instead have this open on their machine.
More features and functions for Windows 11 will be revealed soon, but Microsoft has already taken the wraps off a whole load of new additions and services - including some forTeams.
The company has already revealed it has given Teams a major revamp, including a whole new engineering base that it hopes will make Teams more intuitive and easier to use. “Microsoft Teams 2.0” is based on Edge WebView2 instead of Electron which will allow Microsoft to use embedded web technologies such as HTML, CSS and JavaScript along with the Chromium rendering engine.
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Using Edge WebView2 means that Teams 2.0 also no longer has an address bar and users will be able to run the app in a separate window as they could with the old app.
Unlike the old client, theTeams 2.0 app windowcan now be resized and the interface scales alongside it automatically. Microsoft has also added integrations with native notifications and otherWindows 10features.
While many features are now available in the new client, advanced controls are still missing which limits the functionality of Together Mode and prevents users from changing Teams' noise cancellation features.
The move shows just how crucial a role Teams is set to play for Microsoft in the Windows 11 release and the years ahead, as companies around the world look set to adapt a hybrid working model that is hevaily reliant on such software tools.
ViaBleepingComputer
Mike Moore is Deputy Editor at TechRadar Pro. He has worked as a B2B and B2C tech journalist for nearly a decade, including at one of the UK’s leading national newspapers and fellow Future title ITProPortal, and when he’s not keeping track of all the latest enterprise and workplace trends, can most likely be found watching, following or taking part in some kind of sport.
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