During its Windows 11 event, Microsoft announced that the new operating system will feature Teams integration. The company's messaging service is available for download standalone, but the theme for Windows 11 is to bring you closer to the things that matter to you. On top of that list are the people you care about, so Teams integration makes sense.

This is actually not a completely new idea for Microsoft. You may remember that Windows 10 version 1511 came with Messaging, Phone, and Video apps that integrated Skype features. This was especially interesting for phones at the time, since the Messaging app included both SMS and Skype messages in one. Microsoft gave up on that concept some time after, though the Skype app is still pre-installed in Windows 10.

The Teams integration in Windows 11 will be a bit different. First of all, there's a new, preinstalled "Chat" app that is based on the consumer version of Microsoft Teams. With this, there will be a Teams pane built into the taskbar, giving you quick access to recent contacts. This pane will allow you to message other people or start a meeting that anyone can join. Of course, you get the full Teams app, too, and you can open it to send messages and take video and voice calls. Teams is basically a replacement for Skype, though Microsoft still hasn't discontinued Skype. It also has some new features compared to Skype, like shared calendars and integration with Microsoft To-Do. Of course, Teams is also a tool for business communication. Business users have a whole set of features separate from personal users, but you can use both work and personal accounts with the same app.

If you haven't yet, you can try Teams by downloading it from here. Of course, you'll have to wait a little longer for the Windows 11 integration, but hopefully we'll see it once the first few builds make their way to Windows Insiders. The first one will be released early next week, so we shouldn't have to wait much longer.