Teams: Microsoft is discontinuing the chat function after 18 months
After only around 18 months, Microsoft is ending support for the live chat widget in Teams. The function will be switched off on October 5th. Users need to act now and look for alternatives.
End of Teams Live Chat
Microsoft is continually improving Teams. The developers recently added a new efficiency mode and a number of other functions to the communication program. However, after a popular meeting view was removed in May, another feature is now being discontinued. The software company has announced that Teams Live Chat will end on October 5, 2026.
The tool, which was only introduced around 18 months ago, allowed small and medium-sized companies to forward customer inquiries from their own website directly to a Teams channel. New service facilities have been blocked since August 6th. This ends a project that was presented as an important tool for customer loyalty when it started in March 2025.
The feature was primarily part of the Microsoft 365 Business Basic, Standard and Premium subscriptions. The technical implementation included various core functions. Customers used a widget embedded directly on the company website that sent messages in real time to an assigned Teams channel. Up to 25 support employees were then able to process the requests in parallel. Administrators also set fixed business hours and assigned appointments.
Widgets disappear, data stays
For users, the approaching end of support means a concrete need for action. Administrators are requested to remove the corresponding chat widget from their websites before the deadline. From the beginning of October, messages from website visitors will no longer be delivered to Teams. Any remaining widgets on websites are automatically hidden after the appointment so that customers don’t write in vain. However, existing chat histories and recorded customer data will not be lost due to the shutdown.
As Microsoft explains in the official documentation, the associated Teams channels will remain fully intact. The information collected remains subject to the respective company’s regular retention policies. Only the acceptance of new conversations and the escalation of existing support cases are technically prevented.
Focus on new AI solutions
The official reason given for the discontinuation is to focus on other areas of focus. The group says it now wants to refer customers who need website support to the more comprehensive Dynamics 365 Contact Center. Copilot Studio also comes into focus. The latter relies heavily on artificial intelligence to enable automated customer interactions. The former chat project manager has already moved to the AI business solutions department.
