Microsoft begins rolling out Windows 11 update with Teams chat

Microsoft announced on Tuesday that it is rolling out an update to Windows 11 that includes its chat feature for talking with friends and family through Microsoft Teams. People who are already testing Windows 11 through the Windows Insider program will be able to try out the Chat software before Windows 11 becomes generally available to everyone later this year.

Adding the component to Windows could lead to greater adoption from Teams, which became more popular during the coronavirus pandemic. If more people use Teams, the software could become a more valuable asset in the Office suite, which currently makes up the bulk of Microsoft’s business.

People can access the chat feature by entering the Win-C keyboard shortcut (formerly the shortcut for accessing the Cortana virtual assistant) from any screen in Windows 11, Brandon LeBlanc, a senior program manager at Microsoft, wrote in a blog post. An icon is also available in the taskbar. Once the chat window is open, it is possible to open the full-fledged Microsoft Teams app, which has been redesigned for Windows 11.

Initially, users will only be available to participate in individual and group chats. Support for voice and video calls and other features will come later, LeBlanc wrote, and so far the chat has only been localized for devices using the English language and configured in the United States.

Not everyone needs to be on Teams to exchange messages with people using Chat in Windows 11. If someone using Chat sends a message to someone who is not on Teams, the recipient will receive the message. in an email or text, and Microsoft will offer an option to join Teams, LeBlanc wrote. And it is possible to synchronize Skype and Outlook contacts.

Microsoft added preinstalled Skype apps in Windows 10 in 2015, and last year, after the pandemic hit, the company tried to make it easier to start Skype calls from Windows with a Meet Now feature. With Windows 11, the focus is on Teams, which had 145 million daily active users in April.

If more people start using Teams due to its inclusion in Windows 11 as Chat, it could pose new challenges for competitors, including Slack and Zoom.

“Today Microsoft announced that it will be bundling Teams with Windows as well as Office,” Slack said the day Microsoft announced Windows 11. “Our reaction is simple: Better to choose than to lock, to open is better than closed, and fair competition is best. Unfortunately, Microsoft has never seen it that way. “

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