Microsoft is discontinuing the Together Mode in Teams to promote a more streamlined and straightforward option.

      Microsoft Teams is discontinuing one of its more well-known meeting features, which may be a beneficial change. The company announced that Together Mode will be removed as it shifts towards simpler meeting layouts.

      Together Mode was launched during the surge of video calls during the pandemic, placing attendees in shared virtual settings like auditoriums or classrooms. While it was an interesting concept at the time, it did not become the preferred meeting view for most users.

      Reasons for the removal of Together Mode

      According to Microsoft’s official announcement, this change is aimed at streamlining meeting layouts and enhancing the usability of Teams. Instead of keeping Together Mode as a distinct option, Teams is focusing on simplified layout options that reflect how people typically meet. The updated design will bring a neater Gallery layout, as well as more straightforward views for situations where a participant is presenting or sharing content.

      The primary goal is to eliminate visual clutter and make meetings easier to comprehend quickly, without the need to navigate through numerous visual settings. Together Mode was most effective when all participants had their cameras on and when the number of attendees was just right, leading to it becoming more of a novelty than a standard feature.

      This update coincides with several other enhancements on the platform, including the introduction of a mic test feature and privacy-focused Copilot summaries. Recently, Microsoft also repositioned the raise hand button to prevent accidental clicks.

      Microsoft aims for cleaner meeting visuals

      The new layout strategy appears to be more practical. Microsoft is working towards ensuring a consistent look for Teams meetings across various scenarios. Whether participating in a video-intensive call, watching a presenter, or viewing shared slides, the new design aims to be more intuitive and less visually overwhelming. Teams meetings can often feel cluttered with participant tiles, chat, reactions, and more.

      While Together Mode had its niche appeal, Microsoft is opting to replace it with something that’s less distracting.