Microsoft has just made using Teams even more cumbersome.

      Microsoft

      In a support article, Microsoft announced that starting in April 2025, Microsoft Teams will cease support for sending or receiving SMS from Android devices. This adjustment encourages users to transition to the Phone Link app for SMS messaging.

      If you try to send an SMS through Teams, you'll receive a notification about this change. The SMS feature is relatively obscure, and you might not have even been aware of its existence, but Microsoft is set to eliminate it from Teams. At present, you can still view SMS messages in the Recent section and send texts, but this capability will soon be withdrawn. Currently, the “Link your phone” feature allows you to manage text messages without switching apps, thereby streamlining the process.

      With Skype's impending shutdown, some users may seek out Teams as an alternative, potentially expanding Teams' user base. However, new users will now need to utilize the Phone Link app for functionalities they previously accessed through Teams. This feature can be used on a Windows 11 PC and on any Android device running version 7.0 or higher. You will also need the Link to Windows app, which should be preinstalled on Android devices with version 9.0 or later.

      This shift to the Phone Link app isn’t necessarily negative, as it offers useful features such as checking your phone's battery level, viewing photos, and more. Though using a separate app may feel inconvenient, transitioning to Phone Link could be advantageous.

      Judy Sanhz is a writer for Digital Trends, covering all news related to computing. She has a passion for all operating systems and devices.

      Microsoft may have discovered a subtle technique to encourage the use of Bing.

      Microsoft is implementing a rather unconventional strategy to prevent Bing users from switching to Google when they need to conduct a search. As noted by Reddit users and reported by Windows Latest, if you search for "Google" on Bing now, you will be directed to a results page featuring a header that resembles the Google search bar.

      The page also loads with Bing's main search bar hidden, requiring you to scroll up to see it. Since you're still on Bing, it doesn't display "Google" above the centered search bar. Nonetheless, the aesthetics of the search bar and the accompanying graphics are reminiscent of Google's design.

      Google surpasses Microsoft by simplifying chat transfers.

      In a recent blog entry, Google revealed that it is facilitating an easier transition for admins migrating from Microsoft Teams to Google Chat to minimize downtime. Admins can perform this process through the Google Chat migration menu, enabling them to link to Microsoft accounts for data transfer from Teams.

      Google provided detailed instructions for admins on how to move messages. Administrators need to connect to their Microsoft account and upload a CSV file of the Teams data for migration. They simply input a starting date for the messages to be transferred from Teams and click Start migration. Once completed, the migrated space, along with the messages and conversation data, will be accessible to Google Workspace users.

      Microsoft Outlook and Teams experience outages, possibly for an extended period.

      According to Deadline, over 5,000 users have reported issues with various Microsoft 365 applications since around 8 a.m. ET today. The outage is affecting email and calendar services linked to Exchange, Outlook, and Teams worldwide.