Microsoft Build 2021: Microsoft announces collaborative apps for Teams

Microsoft Build 2021: Microsoft Teams currently has more than 145 million users worldwide. With the pandemic continuing and companies embracing a hybrid work culture, services like Microsoft Teams are becoming increasingly important. As a result, Microsoft is opening up Teams to developers to create "collaborative applications."

"With collaborative apps, end users can easily work with others to complete their projects at any time, from anywhere, and stay in the flow of work without needing to switch across multiple apps and data," Microsoft said in a blog. In addition, developers can now use standard web technologies, JavaScript, and Teams APIs to integrate into Teams. Microsoft is trying to make it easier for developers to build apps that work seamlessly across different platforms like Windows, macOS, Web, iOS, Android and Linux.

At Build 2021, Microsoft also announced new features for users. Microsoft Teams Fluid components will "allow end-users to send a message with a table, action items, or a list that can be co-authored and edited by everyone in line and that is shareable across Office applications like Outlook." Soon Microsoft is also adding message extensions in Outlook.

Microsoft will also allow users to purchase partner app subscriptions directly from Teams Store and Teams Admin Center. This way, users can easily access third-party applications without leaving Teams. It also gives developers more monetization opportunities for their tools.