As the world moves to a remote working model in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, Microsoft is making Teams one of the best remote work platforms out there. The software giant has announced that there's a huge update for Teams in the works, and it'll shake up the competition in the remote working scene.

Microsoft's Huge Love Letter to Teams

You can see the huge update for yourself over on Microsoft 365. The company has announced a plethora of updates that focus on personal connections.

The biggest announcement is the addition of free all-day video calls, which is a big problem for competitors such as Zoom.

Zoom has shown some compassion before, such as when it lifted time restrictions for Thanksgiving. However, Microsoft aims to have this same freedom all year round.

Microsoft is quick to state, however, that there is a slight catch to its free calls. As stated in the footnote:

To help you stay connected in the coming months, you will be able to meet for 24 hours with up to 300 participants until further specified.

As such, Microsoft may go back on its word later down the line and limit call times or the number of participants allowed in a free call. For the time being, however, Microsoft is happy for you to spend all day chatting with friends using Teams.

But what if your friends don't have Teams? Microsoft has an answer for that, too. Now you can message groups of people even if they don't have the Teams app installed. They'll get all of your messages over SMS, plus a link to download Teams should they want to join in the chat proper.

The mobile app will receive a feature that allows you to update your location to family members. When you venture out, your family can see where you are and where you're headed.

If you like the sound of these features, be sure to keep your eye out for an update to Teams in the future. Microsoft is gradually rolling out this update to Teams users, so if you don't see it right away, you'll need to wait for a little for it to arrive on your device.

Making Remote Working Easier With Teams

With the competition heating up in the remote working niche, Microsoft is keen to come out on top. With free all-day calls, Microsoft is taking a swipe at Zoom; however, will Microsoft keep this feature around when the COVID-19 pandemic begins to die down?

Microsoft has been on a huge Teams update spree as of late. Recently, the company announced a collaboration with its Microsoft Forms service to create polls within Teams.

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