Microsoft is on the cusp of releasing a new version of its enterprise chat app Teams and this new version built from the ground up should make better use of PC system resources.
According to a report from The Verge, sources familiar with the company’s plans are saying that a new version of Microsoft Teams is being internally tested by employees and could hit the public as soon as next month.
For users who find the current Microsoft Teams app to be sluggish and a resource hog when opened, the company’s newest version, dubbed Teams 2.0, is rumored to use fifty percent less memory, initiate less strain on the CPU which should ultimately offer better battery management in the long run.
Similar to the way Microsoft rolled out its Outlook web app for desktops, the company is rumored to offer a toggle in the UI that will allow users to switch back to the older app when it begins releasing its preview version to customers sometime in March.
Microsoft mentioned back in 2021 that it planned on moving from Electron to a more modern web architecture for its Teams platform, but with millions of seats already purchased for enterprise that development effort was shifted to the consumer version where the company could implement with less user disruption.
The difference between the two apps rests in the switch from Electron to Edge Webview2 technology, React, and JavaScript libraries. Microsoft made the development switch for the consumer version of Teams but has yet to push it to its enterprise client in mass.
With both the consumer and enterprise Teams clients prepped to share unified development code, former head of Microsoft Teams engineering Rish Tandon believes the company can start executing improvements quicker that could include support for multiple accounts, work life scenarios, and more.
In addition to using fewer CPU resources, Teams 2.0 should feel faster and snappier when navigating the UI.
It’s unclear at the moment whether or not this update is limited to Windows 11 or if Windows 10 users will be stuck with the standalone Electron and React supported version of the platform.
