Microsoft sets end date for classic Teams desktop app support, urges switch to Teams 2.0

Microsoft has announced a support cut-off date for the classic Microsoft Teams desktop client in favor of the newest "Teams 2.0" version, which was released on October 5th of last year. Users have until July 1, 2024, to switch to the updated version. After this date, Microsoft will cease to provide updates, patches, or new features for the old version of Teams.

Even though support for the classic Teams app will cease, it will still be operational for users who haven't migrated to the new version yet. Users will be alerted about the end of support through warning notifications, which can be dismissed but will reappear periodically. From August 2024, warnings will be sent to users on outdated and unsupported operating systems like Windows 7, Windows 8, 8.1, and MacOS Sierra 10.12, stating that the classic Teams app will stop functioning after October 23, 2024. Attempts to use the app after this date on these systems will result in a blocked notification, although users on those older operating systems, the Teams app can still be accessed via supported web browsers after the app becomes inoperable.

As a side note, just last month the company also announced that it would be merging personal and work accounts into a unified Microsoft Teams app experience, meaning there will be a single Teams desktop app, with the option of switching accounts depending on users' needs.