Microsoft Teams revealed that a brand-new “Communities” feature is now accessible on smartphones running iOS and Android, as reported by TechCrunch. The local parent-teacher association, recreational sports team, event planning committee, or any other group can now be created and managed by users. With this feature, users have access to meeting scheduling, event planning, group calendars, document and photo sharing, video calls, and chat.
Communities in Teams, according to the company’s official blog, include a “new events experience” that enables users to submit events to their community calendar, invite guests, keep track of attendance, and communicate directly with attendees via private messaging. Additionally, in 2023, Microsoft Teams will make SignUpGenius accessible to users so they can plan events, recruit volunteers, and more. Communities are now being included in the free version of Microsoft Teams. The company stated that it will soon be made available on desktop after initially just being available on mobile devices.
The functionality is located on the Home tab of the Teams mobile app. After selecting “Create new community,” the user next selects “Create from scratch.” After choosing a name, set of rules, and description for their community, the user then chooses an image or emoji. Users who already have a Microsoft account can invite others to the group by sending them a link or by having them scan a QR code.
The launch of Communities raises the possibility that Microsoft Teams is looking to expand beyond its existing function as a tool for office collaboration and productivity. With Slack, which also caters to consumers, as well as social media applications like Facebook, Discord, Twitter, and WhatsApp, it would be able to compete more directly.
The addition also comes a year after Microsoft tried to acquire Discord for a rumoured $10 billion price. In April 2021, Discord stopped communicating with the company. Microsoft has tested a number of methods to entice users to the Teams app, including animated avatars, “Games for Work,” a new social gaming feature, and recaps powered by AI.
