Microsoft to Offer Teams as a Standalone App Globally

Microsoft plans to offer Teams as a standalone app globally, after separating the service from its other products in Europe last year. The change followed a European Commission investigation into its bundling of the app with Microsoft 365 and Office 365 products. Microsoft’s decision to carve out Teams from Office may not be enough to stave off EC antitrust charges, which could be sent to the company over the coming months.

To address antitrust concerns, Microsoft spun off Teams from its commercial Office products across the EU and Switzerland in August 2023. Effective 1 April, customers can either continue with their current licensing deal, renew, update, or switch to the new offers.

A representative from Microsoft said the decision to unbundle Teams from Office globally was made to ensure clarity for its customers and with the EC in mind. “Doing so also addresses feedback from the European Commission by providing multinational companies more flexibility when they want to standardize their purchasing across geographies.”