Teams Together – Microsoft is ending the Teams “Together” feature, introduced in 2020 to mimic a shared virtual room during the pandemic. The company is directing users to Teams Gallery, saying the change cuts cross-platform complexity and improves video smoothness—especially
When Microsoft introduced Teams “Together” mode in 2020, the goal was simple: make remote work feel more like everyone was in the same room. Now, with many employees back in offices, Microsoft is pulling that idea off the table and steering users toward a different view in meetings.
Microsoft says it’s doing away with the Together feature and moving users to Gallery. In an Insider Blog, the company framed the shift as a way to reduce implementation complexity while improving video quality.
The decision comes with a list of reasons that go beyond aesthetics.. Microsoft said Together mode “increases cognitive load for users” and “adds implementation complexity across platforms.” It also pointed to what can happen on phones and other “modest” devices that don’t have much processing power. saying the feature can produce a choppy video experience.
Gallery mode, Microsoft argues, is the more practical alternative.. It says Gallery will deliver “smoother video on modest devices. ” in part through adaptive video tile counts designed to avoid machine overload.. Microsoft also says the Gallery interface is simpler. and that the meeting resources saved by dropping Together can be redirected toward future improvements such as “super-resolution. denoising and improved color accuracy.”
The sequence of changes ties directly to Microsoft’s own explanation: Together is being removed because it raises user “cognitive load. ” makes implementation harder across platforms. and can be choppy on devices with limited processing power—while Gallery is positioned as the replacement that avoids overload with adaptive tiles and leaves more room for video upgrades like super-resolution and denoising.
There’s also the human layer to this technical decision.. Teams is widely disliked by many users. and one recurring complaint has been performance problems alongside the product’s overall complexity.. In that light. ditching Together could plausibly ease both issues. as long as Microsoft follows through on the “foundational video improvements” it’s promising with the redirected focus on video quality.
Microsoft Teams Together mode Gallery mode Insider Blog video quality adaptive video tiles super-resolution denoising cognitive load device performance
So they’re getting rid of the only fun view? Great. Teams is already annoying.
I don’t even use Together but if it was making it choppy then sure I guess. Still, Teams lags on my laptop half the time, like why are we pretending it’s the “room” part lol.
Wait so Gallery is smoother on phones? My phone is basically a potato and Teams still crashes. Also “cognitive load”?? That sounds like Microsoft blaming people for not enjoying it. I just want it to not freeze when someone shares their screen.
Microsoft always “improves” stuff by removing features. Together was basically the reason people didn’t fall asleep, and now it’s just little boxes? They say super-resolution and denoising like that’ll fix how meetings sound like a robot in a closet. Also cross-platform complexity… so it’s broken on purpose on some devices? Idk but I’m sure it’ll be worse before better.