Updated
Updated · Computerworld · May 18
Microsoft Retires Teams Together Mode by June 30 as Gallery View Reaches 49 Participants
Updated
Updated · Computerworld · May 18

Microsoft Retires Teams Together Mode by June 30 as Gallery View Reaches 49 Participants

5 articles · Updated · Computerworld · May 18
  • June 30 is the cutoff for Teams' Together Mode, when Microsoft will remove the pandemic-era feature from the meeting View menu and make Gallery the primary group-call layout.
  • Microsoft said modern Gallery view now covers the feature's core purpose by showing up to 49 participants at once, while requiring fewer clicks and less device power.
  • Together Mode launched during Covid-19 as a shared virtual space that placed cropped video feeds into scenes like conference rooms and amphitheaters to reduce meeting fatigue.
  • The retirement follows Microsoft's broader pullback from immersive work features after it shut Mesh 3D meetings in December, though an immersive-events app remains in some Teams plans.
As Microsoft axes 'gimmicky' features, will it finally fix the basic Teams bugs that have plagued users for years?
Is simplifying Teams a genuine UX improvement, or just trimming costs that Microsoft's market dominance allows?
With billions invested in AI, is Microsoft admitting its simpler AI features failed to provide real user value?