Oh, Microsoft Teams, our beloved digital workspace where notifications never sleep and conversations live forever. For everyone who’s been religiously checking 57 different tabs in Teams just to find that one message from last Thursday, here’s some news to soothe your soul. Microsoft is giving Teams a makeover—and we’re talking threads, a shiny new user interface, and enough customization to keep your digital life just this side of chaotic.

Threads Are Coming… Eventually

Yes, threads. Finally, you’ll be able to have those in Teams—but there’s a catch. They’re arriving in mid-2025. That’s right, mark your calendar and set a reminder… for two years from now. Microsoft says threads will help make conversations more organized, so by 2025, you might finally be able to track who replied to what without feeling like you’re unraveling a sweater made of notifications.

Why the wait? Probably because Microsoft is busy making sure the feature has that patented “Teams charm”—where everything sort of works but not exactly how you expected.

One Tab to Rule Them All: Combined Chats and Channels

In more immediate news, next month, Teams is rolling out a public preview of a combined “Chats and Channels” view. This means you’ll be able to see your group chats and channels in one single, tidy window under “Chat.” No more toggling back and forth like a DJ spinning two laptops at once. According to Jeff Teper, president of Microsoft’s collaborative apps, this redesign will “simplify your digital workspace.” Translation: one less click, one less tab, one giant leap for productivity.

With this update, you’ll find chats, channels, and probably a few things you don’t even remember subscribing to, all in one place. It’s like your junk drawer, but for work.

A New Favorites Section, Because Apparently We All Have Favorite Conversations Now

Remember when your favorites were just your top friends or maybe your most-used emojis? Now, Microsoft Teams thinks you might actually have “favorite” work chats. So, they’re giving you a “Favorites” section where you can pin the conversations you absolutely can’t afford to miss (like that thread about who’s bringing what to the potluck). This feature is rolling out to help you pretend you have organizational skills, even if your desktop begs to differ.

@Mentions, Custom Sections, and More Notifications Than You Can Handle

You’re going to love the @mentions update, which lets you see every single instance you’ve been summoned into the conversation. It’s like a highlight reel, but instead of scoring goals, you get to relive every time someone asked you to “just check this real quick.” If that’s not your idea of fun, well, there’s more! Microsoft is introducing custom sections, allowing you to group your conversations and projects together so that everything has a neat place. Don’t worry, it’s still Teams—you’ll still be mildly confused about where things are.

And because the notifications were apparently not enough already, Microsoft is adding message previews, timestamps, and a single-channel view, making sure you’re fully aware of the exact time Stacey replied “okay, thanks” to that three-paragraph message you sent.

Desktop and Mobile Updates: Bringing All the Fun to Your Pocket

Microsoft isn’t playing favorites between desktop and mobile users, either. The new features will be available on both, with desktop and mobile updates arriving in the public preview next month, and later on Android and iOS. So yes, soon you’ll be able to experience the full power of Teams’ endless notifications and updates right from your phone. You’ll never be more than a few taps away from peak productivity (or panic).

Microsoft Teams Wants to Be Your One-Stop Chat Shop (Again)

Microsoft Teams is leaning all-in on the idea of being a “digital workspace,” and these updates are proof that they’re determined to simplify your work life—if only by adding more layers to click through. For those who live and breathe Teams, this makeover will be like moving into a bigger house with better labels on the closets. For the rest of us? Well, it’s one more reason to figure out if the “Do Not Disturb” mode actually works.

And with threads arriving in 2025, we can be sure that Microsoft Teams will keep us on our toes for years to come.

Written by Digital Upcourse
Your guide to navigating the digital frontier.