Microsoft Teams is launching a chat feature in Outlook

There’s no escape as Microsoft Teams “chat experience” comes to Outlook

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Users ofMicrosoft Outlookwill soon be able to enjoy a more collaborative experience thanks to a new update forMicrosoft Teams.

Thevideo conferencingservice is working on a feature that it says will bring Teams chat into Outlook to enable a meeting-style approach within theemail client.

These new “Outlook meetings” will allow participants to send a quick message, or review a chat, without having to open upMicrosoftTeams separately, meaning users won’t need to switch between the applications.

Microsoft Teams in Outlook

In its entry on theofficial Microsoft 365 roadmap, the company notes that the new feature will provide, “an easy Teams chat experience from Outlook in the context of a meeting for participants”.

There’s not much detail on exactly how the feature will work just yet, but it looks likely to be an expansion to the Teams functions already integrated within Outlook. Users have the Teams add-in for Outlook automatically enabled when both apps are installed on a device, giving them the option to quickly message their contacts.

The feature is currently listed as being “in development”, with its general release  expected March 2023. When launched, it will be available for all Outlook web users.

This Microsoft Outlook update wants to make sure you don’t forget to follow-up after a meeting>We’ve also ranked the best headsets for conference calls>Microsoft Teams updates are about to become less of a total pain

The news is the latest step in bringing Microsoft Teams and Outlook together as the company looks to simplify its communication tools.

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Recently, it announced a new feature that will let usersrun apps built for Microsoft Teams within Outlook. It hopes this will make for a more seamless online collaboration experience, as users won’t need to constantly switch between Teams and Outlook to stay on top of their work.

Users will also be able to acquire and use these updated Teams apps (including personal tabs and/or search-based message extensions) without leaving the email platform.

Another new app means that Microsoft Teams users will soon be able tointegrate their calendars with Outlook, which syncs across the entire Office 365 suite to help users manage their time and pinpoint availability for online meetings.

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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