Teams: Microsoft to discontinue Teams free version from April 12: What this means for users – Times of India

Microsoft has announced that it will be discontinuing the free version of its popular video conferencing platform – – Microsoft Teams – – from April 12. This move is expected to impact users who are currently using the free version of Teams for their collaboration needs. The change comes as Microsoft looks to focus more on providing premium services and features to its customers.
“After April 12, 2023, Microsoft Teams Free (classic), the legacy free Teams app for business, will no longer be available,” said Microsoft.
Microsoft Teams users will need to upgrade to the Microsoft Teams Essentials by paying Rs 110 per user/month to preserve chats, meetings, channels and other key info, the company added.

“Designed specifically with small- and medium-sized businesses in mind, Teams Essentials is the newest version of Teams, which you can purchase separately from Microsoft 365 offerings. After April 12, 2023, Microsoft will no longer support Teams Free (classic). By upgrading to Teams Essentials by that date, you’ll maintain access to your data,” reads the Microsoft Support page.
Here’s how much will the premium subscription cost
“Upgrading to Microsoft Teams Essentials is the easiest way to continue using Teams and maintain access to all your chats, files, teams, and meetings. Teams Essentials also provides unlimited group meetings for up to 30 hours in length with up to 300 participants per meeting, and 10 GB of cloud storage per user — all for only Rs 110 per user/month,” it added.
Who will it impact?
This change could have a significant impact on small businesses and teams that rely on the free version of Teams for their communication needs. It may also force them to switch to another collaboration platform or upgrade their existing plan in order to access the same set of features they had with Teams Free.

Last month, the company announced that it would move some ‘Microsoft Team’ features to its new Premium edition like translated captions, custom Together Mode scenes and virtual appointment options.
The company said the changes in a licensing guide update and mentioned that “some Teams features will move from Teams licenses to Teams Premium license” after the Premium edition completely rolls out in February.
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