Microsoft Announces Unified Teams App as Part of New Windows 11 Update

On March 13, Microsoft announced a significant update to the Teams app, enabling users to switch between personal and work accounts. Currently available for testing via Windows 11 insider build, the new app will only be available as a preview for commercial users from April.

Microsoft intends to phase out the current free version of the app, with plans to officially release the unified app to the public later this year. This release will be included in an upcoming Windows 11 update, version 24H2. This unified app will not incur additional costs for free users as part of this update.

Once launched, users will be able to see and access different accounts by selecting their profile picture in the upper right. The consistent feedback from Microsoft Team’s personal and work users preferring a single app led to this integration. “This update lets you use one app for all Teams accounts,” Microsoft stated in a blog post.

In future updates, users will have the option to select the account type they want to use when joining a meeting link. The app will also allow them to join a meeting without signing in.

Microsoft stated that it intends to change how notifications are received for users with multiple profiles. “In addition, personal notifications have more details, giving clear and easy actions from the notification banner,” says Microsoft in the same blog post.

Currently, users need 2 separate apps: Microsoft Teams (free) and Microsoft Teams (work or school) for personal and work purposes. The unified app will continue to be called “Microsoft Teams (work or school)” for now, but its name will change to just “Microsoft Teams” in the upcoming versions.