Microsoft is pouring a tremendous amount of time and effort into its Teams service to make it the best remote work service in a COVID-19-struck world. Many of these additions went unnoticed, so Microsoft has taken the time to recap everything it did for Teams in January 2021.

What January 2021 Meant for Microsoft Teams

You can see a full recap of the events over on the Tech Community website. It's stuffed to the brim with information that we can't fully cover in a single news article, so be sure to check it out for yourself if anything we cover catches your eye.

January 2021's New Additions for Microsoft Teams

First up, Microsoft revamped how approvals work in Teams. Now you can ask for approval from within the Teams hub so you can quickly get a thumbs-up from your colleagues before continuing with your work.

Microsoft Teams also received offline chat messages in January 2021. If you lose your internet connection, you can now queue up messages that send automatically once you're back on the grid.

Microsoft Teams also made it easier for larger businesses to get work done. The software giant introduced "org-wide teams," which allow up to 10,000 users to collaborate and share information.

January 2021's New Additions for Microsoft Teams Meetings

An organizer now has more control over the meeting's chat. As the organizer, can choose between three chat modes: you can disable the chat entirely, you can have it only appear when the session is in progress, or you can allow people to use the chat whenever they like.

You can also sync up your calendars with everyone else through Teams. When someone creates a channel event, it's automatically added to the channel's calendar. Users in the channel can then add this to their personal calendar.

January 2021's New Additions for Microsoft Teams Devices

Microsoft welcomed a lot of new devices into the Teams family during January 2021. You should give the original article a read for the full details, but some highlights include the Logitech Rally Bar and special video conferencing monitors by Dell.

A Good Start to 2021 for Microsoft Teams

Microsoft is firing on all cylinders to make Teams the number one remote working service out there, and the tech giant has done a fantastic job so far. We'll have to see if it can maintain the momentum through the rest of the year.

That being said, Microsoft has announced some exciting features later on in 2021. For instance, March will see anonymous users taking center stage as presenters in Teams meetings.

Image Credit: Zatevahins / Shutterstock.com