Microsoft has expanded Teams to allow personal groups like families, clubs and groups to use the service.
Within Teams it’s possible to text chat, save and edit documents, share calendars and lists.
A family could have a grocery list to which anyone can add items before the next supermarket run. A photo gallery of images uploaded by any family member.
A club can have a shared calendar of events and discussion area for members. An organizing committee or board can post and agenda in Teams then run the whole meeting via Teams video.
Quite a few families/groups have already moved online with a combination of shared cloud folders, online calendars and messaging via WhatsApp or Signal. Personal Teams is a way to bring all that under the one app.
Source: Microsoft
Personal Teams features
Teams for families has the same sharing options
Either one-to-one or in groups ….
- Text
- Chat
- Video calling
Sharing
- Lists
- Documents
- Calendars
Documents are saved on OneDrive and can be opened in the Office apps or online (browser).
There are also some new Teams features designed for personal and family use.
Safe
Safe is a place for private information like passwords, login details, wifi access etc. It’s similar to the OneDrive Personal Vault.
To access the Safe needs two-factor authentication (which ideally all group members are already using for their Microsoft accounts)
Source: Microsoft
Location Sharing
Teams can also show the location of group members, if they have enabled location sharing on their smartphone.
Source: Microsoft
Location sharing is already available in Google Maps, also WhatsApp or Signal. We often use it when meeting up with others – it helps to know if the people you’re meeting are close or still miles away.
Install
The Personal version of Teams is available now in the Teams app for Apple or Android.
You’ll need a personal Microsoft account, in many cases that will be the same account linked to your Microsoft 365 plan.
According to Microsoft, if you already have Teams, just Add an Account and use your personal Microsoft account to login.
If you’re new to Teams, install the app and login with your Microsoft account.
That’s sounds great but many Teams users know that the apps are struggling to cope with multiple logins. Originally Teams allowed a single login, it was later expanded to permit multiple accounts however the result isn’t the smooth experience that Microsoft promises.
Once you’re logged in with a personal Microsoft account, create one or more groups: Family, Cricket Club, Railway Spotters, Over-80’s Nudist Leapfrog Team or whatever. And invite some people to join you.
Get rid of Teams buttons from your Office ribbon
What’s inside Microsoft Teams; teams, channels, chats, wiki, files, apps, tabs, sites
Microsoft Teams now available free … at last
