Microsoft Teams

On August 29, 2007, Microsoft acquired Parlano, the developer of the persistent group chat tool MindAlign.{{Cite press release |title=Microsoft to Acquire Parlano |date=29 August 2007 |publisher=Microsoft |url=https://news.microsoft.com/2007/08/29/microsoft-to-acquire-parlano/ |language=en |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200804174709/https://news.microsoft.com/2007/08/29/microsoft-to-acquire-parlano/ |archive-date=August 4, 2020}} Years later, on March 4, 2016, Microsoft considered acquiring Slack for $8 billion. However, the proposal was reportedly opposed by Bill Gates, who advocated for focusing on enhancing Skype for Business instead.{{Cite news |last1=Russell |first1=Jon |last2=Lunden |first2=Ingrid |date=4 March 2016 |title=Source: Microsoft mulled an $8 billion bid for Slack, will focus on Skype instead |url=https://techcrunch.com/2016/03/04/source-microsoft-mulled-an-8-billion-bid-for-slack-will-focus-on-skype-instead/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200401035750/https://techcrunch.com/2016/03/04/source-microsoft-mulled-an-8-billion-bid-for-slack-will-focus-on-skype-instead/ |archive-date=April 1, 2020 |work=TechCrunch |language=en}} Lu Qi, then executive vice president of Applications and Services, had led the initiative to pursue the Slack acquisition. Following Lu's departure later that year, Microsoft announced Microsoft Teams on November 2, 2016, at an event in New York City, positioning it as a direct competitor to Slack.{{Cite news |last=Warren |first=Tom |date=2 November 2016 |title=Microsoft Teams launches to take on Slack in the workplace |url=https://www.theverge.com/2016/11/2/13497992/microsoft-teams-slack-competitor-features |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200220204255/https://www.theverge.com/2016/11/2/13497992/microsoft-teams-slack-competitor-features |archive-date=February 20, 2020 |work=The Verge}}{{Cite news |last=Foley |first=Mary Jo |date=2 November 2016 |title=Microsoft launches its Slack competitor, Microsoft Teams |url=https://www.zdnet.com/article/microsoft-launches-its-slack-competitor-microsoft-teams/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200313165649/https://www.zdnet.com/article/microsoft-launches-its-slack-competitor-microsoft-teams/ |archive-date=March 13, 2020 |publisher=ZDNet}} Teams launched worldwide on March 14, 2017.{{Cite web |last=Falcone |first=John |date=2 November 2016 |title=Microsoft Teams: 7 things you need to know |url=https://www.cnet.com/news/microsoft-teams-7-things-you-need-to-know/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161220180224/https://www.cnet.com/news/microsoft-teams-7-things-you-need-to-know/ |archive-date=December 20, 2016 |website=CNET}}{{Cite news |date=March 14, 2017 |title=Microsoft Teams rolls out to Office 365 customers worldwide – Office Blogs |url=https://blogs.office.com/en-us/2017/03/14/microsoft-teams-rolls-out-to-office-365-customers-worldwide/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180109034455/https://blogs.office.com/en-us/2017/03/14/microsoft-teams-rolls-out-to-office-365-customers-worldwide/ |archive-date=January 9, 2018 |access-date=September 30, 2017 |work=Office Blogs |language=en-US}} The service was initially led by corporate vice president Brian MacDonald.{{cite web |last=Warren |first=Tom |date=March 14, 2017 |title=How Microsoft Built its Slack Competitor |url=https://www.theverge.com/2017/3/14/14920892/microsoft-teams-interview-behon |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230123203332/https://www.theverge.com/2017/3/14/14920892/microsoft-teams-interview-behind-the-scenes-slack-competition |archive-date=January 23, 2023 |access-date=August 26, 2020}}

In response to the launch, Slack published a full-page advertisement in The New York Times welcoming the competition and outlining its product philosophy.{{cite web |last=Warren |first=Tom |date=November 2, 2016 |title=Slack shows it's worried about Microsoft Teams with a full-page newspaper ad |url=https://www.theverge.com/2016/11/2/13497766/slack-microsoft-teams-new-york-times-ad |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200406191509/https://www.theverge.com/2016/11/2/13497766/slack-microsoft-teams-new-york-times-ad |archive-date=April 6, 2020 |access-date=September 5, 2017}} Although Slack was used by 28 companies in the Fortune 100, The Verge wrote that executives would question paying for the service if Teams provides a similar function in their company's existing Office 365 subscription. However, ZDNET noted that the platforms initially served different markets, as Teams did not support external users, making it less appealing to small businesses and freelancers, limitation Microsoft later addressed.{{cite web |last=Bott |first=Ed |date=4 November 2016 |title=Slack versus Microsoft Teams: It's really no contest |url=https://www.zdnet.com/article/slack-versus-microsoft-teams-its-really-no-contest/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200804013016/https://www.zdnet.com/article/slack-versus-microsoft-teams-its-really-no-contest/ |archive-date=August 4, 2020 |publisher=ZDNet}}{{Cite web |last=Branscombe |first=Mary |date=10 June 2022 |title=Microsoft Teams: A cheat sheet |url=https://www.techrepublic.com/article/microsoft-teams-the-smart-persons-guide/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210603180609/https://www.techrepublic.com/article/microsoft-teams-the-smart-persons-guide/ |archive-date=June 3, 2021 |website=TechRepublic}} In response to Teams' announcement, Slack deepened in-product integration with Google services.{{cite web |date=December 7, 2016 |title=Google and Slack deepen partnership in the face of Microsoft Teams |url=http://www.pcworld.com/article/3147797/software-productivity/google-and-slack-deepen-partnership-in-the-face-of-microsoft-teams.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180527071225/https://www.pcworld.com/article/3147797/software-productivity/google-and-slack-deepen-partnership-in-the-face-of-microsoft-teams.html |archive-date=May 27, 2018 |access-date=December 7, 2016}}

In May 2017, Microsoft announced that Teams would replace Microsoft Classroom in Office 365 Education.{{cite news |last=Willis |first=Richard |date=23 June 2017 |title=Microsoft Classroom to be replaced by Microsoft Teams in Office 365 for Education |url=https://blog.salamandersoft.co.uk/index.php/2017/05/microsoft-classroom-to-be-replaced-by-microsoft-teams-in-office-365-for-education/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191229194826/https://blog.salamandersoft.co.uk/index.php/2017/05/microsoft-classroom-to-be-replaced-by-microsoft-teams-in-office-365-for-education/ |archive-date=29 December 2019 |publisher=SalamanderSoft}}{{Cite news |date=May 3, 2017 |title=Microsoft Classroom Preview has officially been 'dropped' |url=https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/Classroom/Microsoft-Classroom-Preview-has-officially-been-dropped/td-p/66657 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170906043600/https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/Classroom/Microsoft-Classroom-Preview-has-officially-been-dropped/td-p/66657 |archive-date=September 6, 2017 |access-date=June 21, 2017 |language=en}} A free version of Teams was released on July 12, 2018, offering most core features at no cost, albeit with limits on users and storage.{{Cite news |date=July 12, 2018 |title=Microsoft launches free version of Teams |url=https://venturebeat.com/2018/07/12/microsoft-launches-free-version-of-teams/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180716224312/https://venturebeat.com/2018/07/12/microsoft-launches-free-version-of-teams/ |archive-date=July 16, 2018 |access-date=July 16, 2018 |work=VentureBeat |language=en-US}}{{Cite news |date=2018-07-12 |title=Microsoft debuts free tier in competitive workplace chat app market |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-microsoft-teams-idUSKBN1K22U0 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221123164510/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-microsoft-teams-idUSKBN1K22U0 |archive-date=November 23, 2022 |access-date=2022-11-23 |work=Reuters |language=en}} In January 2019, Microsoft introduced updates targeting "Firstline Workers" to improve Teams’ performance across shared or limited-access devices.{{Cite web |last=Speed |first=Richard |date=9 January 2019 |title=Microsoft wins today's buzzword bingo with empowering set of updates to Teams |url=https://www.theregister.co.uk/2019/01/09/microsoft_teams_empowering_users/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191212220155/https://www.theregister.co.uk/2019/01/09/microsoft_teams_empowering_users/ |archive-date=December 12, 2019 |publisher=The Register}}{{Cite web |date=Mar 12, 2012 |title=Microsoft demos vocal translator that uses your own voice |url=https://www.onmsft.com/news/microsoft-demos-vocal-translator-uses-your-own-voice |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191106165233/https://www.onmsft.com/news/microsoft-demos-vocal-translator-uses-your-own-voice |archive-date=November 6, 2019 |access-date=November 6, 2019 |website=OnMSFT.com |language=en}}

In September 2019, Microsoft announced the retirement of Skype for Business in favor of Teams, which took effect on July 31, 2021.{{Cite web |last=Foley |first=Mary Jo |title=Microsoft will drop Skype for Business Online on July 31, 2021 |url=https://www.zdnet.com/article/microsoft-will-drop-skype-for-business-online-on-july-31-2021/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200906172008/https://www.zdnet.com/article/microsoft-will-drop-skype-for-business-online-on-july-31-2021/ |archive-date=September 6, 2020 |access-date=2020-02-09 |website=ZDNet |language=en}}{{Cite news |title=Microsoft Teams is replacing Skype for Business to put more pressure on Slack |url=https://www.theverge.com/2017/9/25/16360072/microsoft-teams-replacing-skype-for-business |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170925231151/https://www.theverge.com/2017/9/25/16360072/microsoft-teams-replacing-skype-for-business |archive-date=September 25, 2017 |access-date=September 26, 2017 |work=The Verge}} In early 2020, Microsoft introduced a push-to-talk "Walkie Talkie" feature aimed at firstline workers using smartphones and tablets over Wi-Fi or cellular networks.{{cite web |date=January 9, 2020 |title=Microsoft Teams is getting a Walkie Talkie feature so you can reach colleagues all day long |url=https://www.theverge.com/2020/1/9/21058313/microsoft-teams-walkie-talkie-push-to-talk-feature-preview |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200402141217/https://www.theverge.com/2020/1/9/21058313/microsoft-teams-walkie-talkie-push-to-talk-feature-preview |archive-date=April 2, 2020 |access-date=January 29, 2020 |publisher=The Verge}}

The COVID-19 pandemic significantly boosted usage of Teams. On March 19, 2020, Microsoft reported 44 million daily active users.{{Cite news |title=Microsoft Office 365 Usage Statistics |url=https://www.thexyz.com/blog/microsoft-office-365-usage-statistics/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201030153428/https://www.thexyz.com/blog/microsoft-office-365-usage-statistics/ |archive-date=October 30, 2020 |access-date=September 19, 2020 |language=en}}{{Cite news |title=Microsoft Teams at 3: Everything you need to connect with your teammates and be more productive |url=https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/blog/2020/03/19/microsoft-teams-3-everything-you-need-connect-teammates-be-more-productive/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200319143335/https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/blog/2020/03/19/microsoft-teams-3-everything-you-need-connect-teammates-be-more-productive/ |archive-date=March 19, 2020 |access-date=March 19, 2020 |work=Microsoft |language=en}} In April, the platform logged 4.1 billion meeting minutes in a single day.{{cite news |last1=Tilley |first1=Aaron |date=2 June 2020 |title=Microsoft Takes On Zoom and Slack in a Battle for Your Work Computer |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/microsoft-aims-to-dominate-technology-at-work-starting-with-those-video-calls-11591108757 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200605000828/https://www.wsj.com/articles/microsoft-aims-to-dominate-technology-at-work-starting-with-those-video-calls-11591108757 |archive-date=June 5, 2020 |access-date=3 June 2020 |work=The Wall Street Journal}}

A public preview of Microsoft Teams for Linux was released in December 2019,{{Cite web |date=2019-12-10 |title=Microsoft Teams is now available on Linux |url=https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/microsoft-teams-blog/microsoft-teams-is-now-available-on-linux/ba-p/1056267 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191210224126/https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/Microsoft-Teams-Blog/Microsoft-Teams-is-now-available-on-Linux/ba-p/1056267 |archive-date=December 10, 2019 |access-date=2023-02-13 |website=techcommunity.microsoft.com |language=en}} but the Linux client was discontinued in 2022. In July 2020, Microsoft shut down its video game livestreaming platform Mixer, and announced that some of its technologies would be repurposed for use in Teams.{{Cite web |last=Warren |first=Tom |date=2020-06-22 |title=Microsoft is shutting down Mixer and partnering with Facebook Gaming |url=https://www.theverge.com/2020/6/22/21299032/microsoft-mixer-closing-facebook-gaming-partnership-xcloud-features |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200623034536/https://www.theverge.com/2020/6/22/21299032/microsoft-mixer-closing-facebook-gaming-partnership-xcloud-features |archive-date=June 23, 2020 |access-date=2020-06-22 |website=The Verge |language=en}}

On February 28, 2025, Microsoft announced that Skype would be fully retired on May 5, 2025, with users given options to export their data or transition to Microsoft Teams.{{Cite web |last=Joseph |first=Jibin |date=2025-02-28 |title=Microsoft Is Shutting Down Skype, Shifting Users to Teams |url=https://www.pcmag.com/news/microsoft-is-shutting-down-skype-shifting-users-to-teams |access-date=2025-04-04 |website=PCMAG |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=Moving from Skype to Microsoft Teams Free - Microsoft Support |url=https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/moving-from-skype-to-microsoft-teams-free-3c0caa26-d9db-4179-bcb3-930ae2c87570 |access-date=2025-04-04 |website=support.microsoft.com}}

Microsoft Teams is a web-based desktop app, originally developed on top of the Electron framework which combines the Chromium rendering engine and the Node.js JavaScript platform.{{Cite web|last=msdmaguire|title=How Microsoft Teams uses memory – Microsoft Teams|url=https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoftteams/teams-memory-usage-perf|access-date=2020-12-17|website=docs.microsoft.com|language=en-us|archive-date=December 8, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201208013106/https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoftteams/teams-memory-usage-perf|url-status=live}} Version 2.0 was rebuilt using the Evergreen version of Microsoft Edge WebView2 in place of Electron.{{Cite web |last=v-ypalikila |date=2023-10-11 |title=Introducing the new Microsoft Teams client - Teams |url=https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoftteams/platform/resources/teams-updates |access-date=2023-12-18 |website=learn.microsoft.com |language=en-us}}

=== Chats ===

Teams allows users to communicate in two-way persistent chats with one or multiple participants. Participants can message using text, emojis, stickers and gifs, as well as sharing links and files. In August 2022, the chat feature was updated for "chat with yourself"; allowing for the organization of files, notes, comments, images, and videos within a private chat tab.{{Cite web |author=Staff reports |date=2022-08-05 |title=Get ready for fall semester with new Microsoft Teams features |url=https://news.ohio.edu/news/2022/08/get-ready-fall-semester-new-microsoft-teams-features |access-date=2022-09-01 |website=OHIO News |language=en |archive-date=September 1, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220901162524/https://news.ohio.edu/news/2022/08/get-ready-fall-semester-new-microsoft-teams-features |url-status=live }}

Teams allows communities, groups, or teams to contribute in a shared workspace where messages and digital content on a specific topic are shared. Team members can join through an invitation sent by a team administrator or owner or sharing of a specific URL.{{Cite web |last=University |first=Herkimer |date=December 2, 2022 |title=How to Accept and Join a Microsoft Teams Meeting? |url=https://www.herkimer.edu/assets/Restart/Quicklinks/How-to-Accept-and-Join-a-Microsoft-Teams-Meeting.pdf |access-date=December 2, 2022 |archive-date=December 2, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221202152749/https://www.herkimer.edu/assets/Restart/Quicklinks/How-to-Accept-and-Join-a-Microsoft-Teams-Meeting.pdf |url-status=live }} Teams for Education allows admins and teachers to set up groups for classes, professional learning communities (PLCs), staff members, and everyone.{{Cite web|url=https://www.onmsft.com/news/microsoft-teams-for-education-adds-assignments-and-grading-features|title=Microsoft Teams for Education adds assignments and grading features|date=May 11, 2018|access-date=June 4, 2018|archive-date=July 7, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180707231229/https://www.onmsft.com/news/microsoft-teams-for-education-adds-assignments-and-grading-features|url-status=live}}

Channels allow team members to communicate without the use of email or group SMS (texting). Users can reply to posts with text, images, GIFs, and image macros. Direct messages send private messages to designated users rather than the entire channel. Connectors can be used within a channel to submit information contacted through a third-party service. Connectors include Mailchimp, Facebook Pages, Twitter, Power BI and Bing News.

Ad-hoc groups can be created to share instant messaging, audio calls (VoIP), and video calls inside the client software.

A feature on one of the higher cost licencing tiers allows connectivity to the public switched telephone network (PSTN) telephone system. This allows users to use Teams as if it were a telephone, making and receiving calls over the PSTN, including the ability to host "conference calls" with multiple participants.{{Cite web |last=Technologies |first=Ovatio |date=2020-01-20 |title=Can Microsoft Teams Replace Your IP Phone System? Maybe. |url=https://ovatiotech.com/2020/01/can-microsoft-teams-really-replace-your-phone-system/ |access-date=2022-11-10 |website=Ovatio Technologies |language=en-US |archive-date=November 10, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221110155744/https://ovatiotech.com/2020/01/can-microsoft-teams-really-replace-your-phone-system/ |url-status=live }}

Meetings can be scheduled with multiple participants able to share audio, video, chat and presented content with all participants. Multiple users can connect via a meeting link.[https://foundation.mozilla.org/en/privacynotincluded/products/teams/ Privacy not included: Teams] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200524015026/https://foundation.mozilla.org/en/privacynotincluded/products/teams/ |date=May 24, 2020 }} Mozilla Foundation report Automated minutes are possible using the recording and transcript features. Teams has a plugin for Microsoft Outlook to schedule a Teams Meeting in Outlook for a specific date and time and invite others to attend.{{Cite news|url=https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/Microsoft-Teams-Blog/Now-available-Outlook-add-in-to-schedule-meetings-in-Microsoft/ba-p/71157|title=Now available: Outlook add-in to schedule meetings in Microsoft Teams|date=July 31, 2017|work=TECHCOMMUNITY.MICROSOFT.COM|access-date=April 25, 2018|language=en|archive-date=April 26, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180426012048/https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/Microsoft-Teams-Blog/Now-available-Outlook-add-in-to-schedule-meetings-in-Microsoft/ba-p/71157|url-status=live}} If a meeting is scheduled within a channel, users visiting the channel are able to see if a meeting is in progress.

Teams Live Events replaces Skype Meeting Broadcast for users to broadcast to 10,000 participants on Teams, Yammer, or Microsoft Stream.{{Cite web |date=2020-05-02 |title=What Is Microsoft Teams? |url=https://www.digitaltrends.com/computing/what-is-microsoft-teams/ |access-date=2022-11-29 |website=Digital Trends |language=en |archive-date=November 29, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221129224044/https://www.digitaltrends.com/computing/what-is-microsoft-teams/ |url-status=live }}

Breakout rooms split a meeting into small groups.{{Cite web|date=2020-12-09|title=Breakout rooms generally available today in Microsoft Teams|url=https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/microsoft-teams-blog/breakout-rooms-generally-available-today-in-microsoft-teams/ba-p/1968481|website=Microsoft Tech Community|language=en|access-date=February 5, 2022|archive-date=February 5, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220205181103/https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/microsoft-teams-blog/breakout-rooms-generally-available-today-in-microsoft-teams/ba-p/1968481|url-status=live}} This is often utilized for collaboration during trainings or any environment where having all participants speak at once could be disruptive or unfeasible. Breakout rooms can be set by the hosts to a certain length of time, after which all participants will automatically rejoin the main meeting room.{{Cite web |title=Use breakout rooms in Microsoft Teams meetings |url=https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/use-breakout-rooms-in-microsoft-teams-meetings-7de1f48a-da07-466c-a5ab-4ebace28e461#bkmk_create-breakout-rooms |access-date=31 August 2024}}

Front Row adjusts the layout of the viewer's screen, placing the speaker or content in the center of the gallery with other meeting participant's video feeds reduced in size and located below the speaker.{{Cite web |date=2022-03-02 |title=The Future of Hybrid Work in Microsoft Teams |url=https://www.uctoday.com/collaboration/team-collaboration/the-future-of-hybrid-work-in-microsoft-teams/ |access-date=2022-03-03 |website=UC Today |language=en-GB |archive-date=March 3, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220303161333/https://www.uctoday.com/collaboration/team-collaboration/the-future-of-hybrid-work-in-microsoft-teams/ |url-status=live }}

Microsoft Teams for Education allows teachers to distribute, provide feedback, and grade student assignments turned in via Teams using the Assignments tab through Office 365 for Education subscribers. Quizzes can also be assigned to students through an integration with Office Forms.{{Cite news|url=https://www.windowscentral.com/microsoft-teams-education-celebrates-first-year-batch-new-features|title=Microsoft Teams for Education celebrates first year with batch of new features|last=Thorp-Lancaster|first=Dan|date=June 5, 2018|work=Windows Central|access-date=July 7, 2018|publisher=Mobile Nations|archive-date=July 7, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180707231011/https://www.windowscentral.com/microsoft-teams-education-celebrates-first-year-batch-new-features|url-status=live}}

Microsoft Teams is based on a number of Microsoft-specific protocols.{{cite web|title=Microsoft Teams and the protocols it uses, OPUS, MNP24, VBSS, ICE and WebRTC |url=https://www.djeek.com/2018/01/microsoft-teams-and-the-protocols-it-uses-opus-and-mnp24/|last=Djeek's Blog|language=en-US|access-date=May 6, 2020|archive-date=May 17, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200517011002/http://www.djeek.com/2018/01/microsoft-teams-and-the-protocols-it-uses-opus-and-mnp24/|url-status=live}} Video conferences are realized over the protocol MNP24, known from the Skype consumer version. VoIP and video conference clients based on SIP and H.323 need special gateways to connect to Microsoft Teams servers.{{Cite web|url=http://blog.schertz.name/2019/03/realconnect-service-network-communications-explained/|title=RealConnect Service Network Communications Explained : Jeff Schertz's Blog|website=blog.schertz.name|date=March 7, 2019 |access-date=May 6, 2020|archive-date=May 2, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200502173752/http://blog.schertz.name/2019/03/realconnect-service-network-communications-explained/|url-status=live}} With the help of Interactive Connectivity Establishment (ICE), clients behind Network address translation routers and restrictive firewalls are also able to connect, if peer-to-peer is not possible.

Microsoft Teams has integrations through Microsoft AppSource, its integration marketplace. In 2020, Microsoft partnered with KUDO, a cloud-based solution with language interpretation, to allow integrated language meeting controls.{{Cite web |last=Rubicomm |date=2022-03-02 |title=Real-time language interpretation add-on now available for Microsoft Teams |url=https://www.itweb.co.za/content/dgp45Ma6Ap4qX9l8 |access-date=2022-03-04 |website=ITWeb |language=en |archive-date=March 4, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220304212147/https://www.itweb.co.za/content/dgp45Ma6Ap4qX9l8 |url-status=live }} In June 2022, an update was released using AI to improve call audio through the elimination of background feedback loops and canceling non-vocal audio.{{Cite web |last=Hachman |first=Mark |title=New Microsoft Teams AI feature could kill the need for a headset |url=https://www.pcworld.com/article/785720/microsoft-teams-has-quietly-killed-the-computer-headset.html |access-date=2022-06-16 |website=PCWorld |language=en-US |archive-date=June 16, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220616171300/https://www.pcworld.com/article/785720/microsoft-teams-has-quietly-killed-the-computer-headset.html |url-status=live }}

In July 2023, the European Commission opened an anti-trust investigation into the possibility that Microsoft unfairly used its office suite market power to increase sales of Teams and hurt its competitors. The next month, Microsoft announced it would make Teams an optional part of the Microsoft 365 bundle, and provide more information to software developers to allow Teams users to transition to competing software with their Teams data.{{Cite web |title=Microsoft to stop packaging Teams and Office software in Europe to head off EU antitrust action |url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/2023/08/31/business/microsoft-stop-packaging-teams-office-software-europe-head-off-eu-antitrust-action/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230901022631/https://www.bostonglobe.com/2023/08/31/business/microsoft-stop-packaging-teams-office-software-europe-head-off-eu-antitrust-action/ |archive-date=September 1, 2023 |access-date=September 1, 2023 |website=The Boston Globe}} In early 2023, Microsoft updated Teams to open links from chats in Microsoft Edge instead of the default browser set by the user.{{cite news |last=Warren |first=Tom |date=3 May 2023 |title=Microsoft is forcing Outlook and Teams to open links in Edge, and IT admins are angry |url=https://www.theverge.com/2023/5/3/23709297/microsoft-edge-force-outlook-teams-web-links-open |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230504190044/https://www.theverge.com/2023/5/3/23709297/microsoft-edge-force-outlook-teams-web-links-open |archive-date=May 4, 2023 |access-date=May 4, 2023 |website=The Verge}} In June 2024, the EU Commission charged Microsoft with antitrust violations for bundling Microsoft Teams into the Office suite.{{Cite news |title=EU charges Microsoft with antitrust violations over Teams |url=https://www.ft.com/content/eb83bb45-84b3-4c58-9589-684029d23243 |access-date=2024-06-29 |newspaper=Financial Times|date=June 25, 2024 |last1=Espinoza |first1=Javier }}

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