Microsoft Teams is finally nixing its goofiest feature

"Launched in 2020, Together mode transformed virtual meetings within Teams. Rather than displaying a standard Zoom-style array of each attendee in their own box with their own background, Together used AI to cut out each person's head and shoulders, then composited them next to each other to give the illusion of an in-person meeting."

"Users could place their meeting attendees in a variety of settings, from a traditional conference room to an amphitheater or a coffee shop, or create custom scenes. Though well-intentioned, the end result of Together mode was a meeting that looked, for lack of a better word, goofy. Cut-out busts are no substitute for in-person connection, and the attempt to recreate them in a visual space fell flat for many users."

"Microsoft once sang the feature's praises, saying it combats video meeting fatigue and lets conversations flow more naturally. But as announced in a recent blog post, Together mode is finally getting the chop from Microsoft, six years after the feature first launched."

""We're always working to make meetings easier to join, simpler to manage, and better for everyone, regardless of device or network conditions," Tranker wrote. Axing Together mode, she continued, is meant to "simplify the meeting experience," "reduce complexity behind the scenes," and "focus our engineering investments on improvements that benefit every Teams meeting such a""

Together mode in Microsoft Teams launched in 2020 to make virtual meetings feel more like in-person gatherings. It used AI to cut out each participant’s head and shoulders and composite them side by side, replacing the typical grid of individual video tiles. Users could choose from preset environments such as conference rooms, amphitheaters, and coffee shops, or create custom scenes. Despite the goal of reducing video meeting fatigue and improving conversational flow, many users found the cut-out look distracting and “goofy.” Microsoft announced that Together mode will be discontinued as of June 30, aiming to simplify the meeting experience, reduce internal complexity, and focus engineering resources on improvements that benefit every Teams meeting.

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