Microsoft will remove the “Together” feature from its Teams application, which was introduced in 2020 to help employees feel as if they were working together during the pandemic. With many employees returning to the office, the company is steering users toward the Gallery mode, which aims to reduce implementation complexity and enhance video quality.
According to Microsoft’s Insider Blog, the decision to eliminate Together mode is based on its impact on cognitive load for users and the complexity it adds across platforms. The company noted that Together mode can lead to choppy video experiences, particularly on mobile devices and less powerful hardware.
In contrast, Gallery mode is designed to provide smoother video for modest devices by using adaptive video tile counts to prevent overload. This shift is also intended to simplify the meeting interface and allow for foundational improvements in video quality, including features like super-resolution, denoising, and improved color accuracy.
Teams has faced criticism from users, often citing performance issues and the perceived complexity of the platform as major drawbacks. Removing the Together feature may help address these concerns, provided Microsoft reallocates resources toward making the necessary video improvements.
