Microsoft is still struggling to become a strong competitor for the group messaging apps like Slack and HipChat. Slack, is a messaging app for teams that has been quite popular recently. Now Microsoft is working on direct Slack competitor under the Skype brand.
MSPowerUser reports that the Redmond giant is now working on the Skye Teams, a group chat app for businesses. Skype Teams is going to be the Microsoft’s new messaging app for teams. Skype Teams app includes a lot of similar features that will find on the Slack.
For example, Slack allows to chat in different groups within a team which is also known as “Channels”. The new additional feature included is, the users will be able to talk to each other via Direct Message option on Skype Teams.
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It also features “Threaded conversations” which is a major feature that is lacking on Slack. With Threaded conversations, one can reply to the message on a channel by just clicking on the reply button and anyone can join the conversation whenever they want. This feature is quite similar to the Facebook comments and Disqus comments.
Microsoft is adding a feature of Giphy integration on Skype Teams called “The Fun Picker”, where you can add Gifs from Giphy, emojis, Memes and a lot more. Microsoft is not leaving out some features of Skype on Skype Teams. Similar to Skype, teams also have a facility of video calling privately or in a channel. The company is adding the feature to schedule the online meetings, which will be helpful for large teams.
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Skype Teams will also provide the user to share files, notes, etc. and making the chatting experience even better. It will also integrate with the Microsoft services like OneDrive and Office 365. It also supports Skype’s Bot Framework, which allows the developers to extend the app functionality with their own services.
Microsoft wants to get the Skype Teams on all devices and is planning to release a web and a Window app. The company is planning to launch the Skype Teams on iOS, Android and Windows phones.
