“To best support our Microsoft 365 customers worldwide and accommodate new growth and demand during these unprecedented times, we’re making temporary adjustments to select non-essential capabilities. We do not expect these changes to have a significant impact on the end user’s experience but wanted to make you aware,” reads the email. One example given includes slowing the interval in which Microsoft checks if another person is typing. It may also reduce video resolution and how often apps check for presence. At this point, it’s not clear which services this will apply to or if there will be other measures that aren’t listed above. Even so, these sound like small annoyances at the most and should ensure a better experience for everyone. A Reuters report suggests Microsoft Teams has seen a 100% growth in usage of Teams in Italy alone, and such demand would quickly become unsustainable. The increased demand is likely exacerbated by Microsoft’s recent offering of a 6-month trial of Teams’ premium features to help with the pandemic. Though some will probably be irked that they aren’t getting the exact functionality they paid for, most will prefer it over the possibility of downtime, where they get nothing at all. Admins can view the message for themselves in the Office 365 admin center or visit this post on Reddit.
