Microsoft Teams to Retire Legacy Chat Infrastructure in March 2024

Microsoft Teams

Key Takeaways:

  • Microsoft will drop support for the legacy chat messaging infrastructure in Microsoft Teams by the end of March 2024.
  • Microsoft Teams users relying on older versions may experience message delivery delays in one-on-one chats, group chats, and channel posts.
  • Microsoft encourages desktop and mobile users to update to the latest version of Teams.

Microsoft has decided to discontinue support for the legacy chat messaging infrastructure in Microsoft Teams. This change will go into effect in March 2024, and users are advised to update their Teams client to avoid any potential communication issues caused by using older versions.

Microsoft Teams users who continue to use a version older than three months may experience delayed delivery of messages in one-on-one chats, group chats, and channel posts. This change will impact the Microsoft Teams desktop, iOS, Android, and Virtual Desktop Interface (VDI) clients.

According to Microsoft, the upcoming change won’t affect Teams Phone devices, Surface Hub, Panels, and meeting rooms. Moreover, the Microsoft Teams web app is designed to automatically update itself, ensuring it remains up-to-date without user intervention.

It’s important to note that Microsoft Teams follows the Modern Lifecycle Policy, which requires users to use the latest version of the app. The automatic updates are intended to improve the reliability, security, and performance of Microsoft Teams.

“Microsoft is constantly investing into innovations and improvements for more effective, reliable, and secure communication infrastructure. The latest improvements for chat messaging scenarios are enhancing the resiliency of message delivery in Microsoft Teams,” Microsoft explained in a message on the Microsoft 365 admin center.

Check for latest Microsoft Teams updates on desktop and mobile

Microsoft has warned that customers might be using an outdated version of Microsoft Teams if they haven’t restarted the app for a long time. The company advises customers to update the Teams client through the in-app update mechanism on Windows and macOS. Meanwhile, Microsoft Teams mobile users can go to the App Store or Google Play Store to check for updates on their iOS or Android devices.

Keep in mind that automatic updates are not available for Microsoft Teams clients on VDI. Microsoft advises VDI customers to uninstall the older version and install a new MSI package by following the instructions available on this support page.

Last month, Microsoft informed commercial customers that it will retire the classic version of Microsoft Teams next year. The company will begin auto-updating users to the new Teams client starting on March 31, 2024.