Teams Live Chat Feature Gets Axed by Microsoft

Microsoft has decided to discontinue its Live chat feature in Teams, just about 18 months after its launch. The service will be retired on October 5, when customer messages will no longer reach Teams.

The decision comes as part of Microsoft's efforts to 'focus investments on newer customer engagement and communication experiences.' Live chat was a relatively simple feature that allowed companies to embed a chat widget on their websites, routing visitor messages to a support team in Teams.

Microsoft has blocked new setups since August 6 and is advising users to remove the widget from their websites before retirement. Any remaining instances will be hidden after that date.