Microsoft Teams Gets Potentially to Developers Build Collaborative Apps

Microsoft Teams — the team communication solution by the Redmond company that is aimed to take on the likes of Slack, Google Meet, and Zoom — is getting a list of updates to enhance user experience. The software giant announced the updates while virtually kicking off Microsoft Build 2021 on Tuesday. The new changes will allow developers to bring real-time, multi-user collaboration for their apps offering whiteboarding, design, and project boards to users. Microsoft also brought updates to Outlook and Windows and a series of new declaration specifically for the developer community working mostly from their homes amid the coronavirus pandemic.

These apps will be able to offer real-time, multi-user collaboration experiences through a configuration in the app manifest. Microsoft also announced an extension of the Together mode available in Teams to let developers bring custom scenes to your virtual meeting.

As the COVID-19 spread has pushed people to stay indoors and work remotely, Microsoft Teams has become popular and more useful for professionals and students around the globe. Microsoft recently revealed that Teams gets 145 million users on a daily basis. Considering this growth and the potential to expand it further, the Seattle, Washington-based company brought a shared stage integration. This will allow developers to build collaborative apps on top of Teams.

The arrival of the Developer Portal for Microsoft Teams is likely to encourage developers to build new experiences for Teams, which could make the competition tougher for Slack, Google Meet, and Zoom.

Additionally, Microsoft announced the availability of fluid components in private preview that will allow experiences such as sending a message with a table, action items or a list that can be co-authored and edited by everyone in line, minimising the need for long chat threads and meetings.

Microsoft has also enabled developers with access to meeting event APIs for Teams that will allow automation of meeting-related workflows through events such as meeting start or end. Additionally, developers have received a dedicated Developer Portal for Microsoft Teams to offer a standalone app management console that is accessible via the Web or within Teams.