Contact list no longer available in new Teams version

[Dianne_NZ]

When new teams go live, can I keep using the old version?

The new version only has a chat list and no contact list.

I regularly use my contact list to determine if someone is in the office.

If I must use the new teams, can someone suggest a workaround?

[#2]

Hi @Dianne_NZ ,

If the new version of Microsoft Teams does not include a contact list and you rely on it for determining someone's availability, there are a few workarounds you can consider:

1. Presence Indicators: In the new version of Teams, you can still see the presence indicators of your colleagues. The presence indicator shows if a person is available, busy, away, or offline. This can give you a general idea of whether someone is in the office or not.

2. Chat Search: You can use the search feature in Teams to find specific individuals. Simply type their name in the search bar, and Teams will show you the matching results. This can help you locate and message a specific person to inquire about their availability.

3. Status Messages: Encourage your colleagues to update their status messages to indicate their availability or current location. People can add custom status messages to their Teams profile, such as "In a meeting," "Working remotely," or "Out of office." By checking their status message, you can get an idea of their availability.

4. Team Calendar: If your organization uses Microsoft Outlook or another calendar system integrated with Teams, you can check the team or group calendars to see if someone is scheduled to be in the office or has any appointments.

5. Pin Frequently Contacted People: In the new Teams version, you can pin frequently contacted people to your chat list. This will keep their names visible and easily accessible for quick communication. While it may not provide a comprehensive contact list, it can help you keep important contacts readily available.

Remember that these workarounds might not offer the same level of functionality as the previous contact list, but they can provide some alternatives in the absence of a dedicated contact list in the new version of Teams.

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[#3]

Hi,

Roadmap feature for the New Teams Client. Until it is available better to use Microsoft Teams Old Client in the Web Browser.

With Regards,
Satish U

[#4]

Hi @RealTime_M365,
I have the same issue and have tried the web version and it has the same issue, web will typically get updates first so thats not surprising, is there a link to run the old version in the browser? or a download to install the old client?

i am very confused why microsoft seems to have silently released a new client that is missing fundamental features? is this a bug or did they know in advance they were just wiping a major basic primitive feature?

[#5]

@Dianne_NZ 

I agree that this is a problem.  Our company is just diving into using Teams and dropping another internal chat software.  My biggest complaint was that I would lose my list of employees.  I found the Contact list in Teams and just finished entering everyone's information... tried the new Teams... and am very disappointed (but really not surprised) that Microsoft decided to get rid of the Contact list.  I'm just glad I haven't spent any time writing instructions for my co-workers as to how to set up their Contact lists... what a waste that would have been.  Also not thrilled with the options in the response to this problem...yes, there are certainly ways to work around the absence of this list, but the list is what we want... once it's set up, it's a simple way to have a roster of employees.

[#6]

I am collaborating with multiple external companies, and it is really useful to show them in specific groups in the contact list (group "Company X"). I was trying out the new version of Teams client and I lost the overview and really missed such a structured view of my contacts. For this reason I have disabled the preview (pretty quick).

[#7]

Guess we will be staying with the old until this feature is added to the client again. Our biggest issue is that we are manufacturing and most of our users have little to no knowledge of computers and the software that comes with it. We have 178 users, most of them know each other mostly by face. so.. each new user i set up I create a company group in their contacts and manually add everyone to the list. Then they can scan through the employee thumbnails to find who they are looking for. Unfortunately I see this getting worse as more people we are hiring lately, especially the younger crowd, have never touched a computer and grew up using tablets or phones.

[#8]

On the Teams Roadmap is a new "People app" integration, which will allow users to seamlessly manage their contacts in Teams. It will be available later this calendar year. Perhaps this will reintroduce the "Contact list" Tab capability currently missing from the "new Teams"... https://adoption.microsoft.com/en-us/new-microsoft-teams/

[#9]

@abesso 

I hope this "people app" works, but you would have thought Microsoft would have kept the contact list until they rolled out this new app.

[#10]

@Dianne_NZ There's a lot to like about the new Teams but the Contact List on the old version is a very useful feature and it's just amazing that Microsoft didn't think to include it with the introduction of the new Teams.  The suggested workarounds are not satisfying so I've gone back to the old version.  Had MS included the Contacts List in the new version, there's no doubt that its adoption would be more successful.  To me, the Contacts List is such an important feature that it should have its own menu option separate from Chat.

[#11]

@bblank1450  yes you nailed it. We won't be deploying the new version until there is proper contact management. It should have been central to new development not something that is coming later. It is an upgrade stopper.

[#12]

Just started using the new teams version, No contacts anymore, this is so inconvenient and no good alternative. This is not working for me.

[#13]

@Dianne_NZ 

Jup... I just keep checking the "New Teams" from time to time and the Contacts "feature" is still gone. Just how could they have removed it is beyond me. I know several people who do not use it since Teams defaults to "Chat" and they've simply never checked it out. But it is vital.

[#14]

I don't know if it will make any real difference, but they do say ... " feedback is critical for improving the Teams experience. If you encounter a bug or have feedback when using the new Teams, select Help button Help>Give feedback and follow the prompts. " Hopefully this feedback on the Contacts feature is being seen and highlighted to those making the decisions. https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/try-the-new-microsoft-teams-2d4a0c96-fa52-43f8-a006-4bfbc...

[#15]

I've left feedback. I work in Medical support and had a large list of doctors in my list along with many other groups. I hope this is resolved.

[#16]

I noticed this reference in another discussion and author advised "brought this issue to the table at the product team as more clients face the same issue. And it is on the roadmap to be implemented." https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/microsoft-teams/new-teams-version-remember-to-bring-back-quot...

[#17]

We use Teams for only 2 months now in our company. I updated to the new Teams app and without contact list, it's pretty useless as a telephone app. And if we can't use it as a telephone app, the whole app is useless for us.

[#18]

I will add my voice to this thread. I found small area of "Contact List" and the Contact Groups within it a (clunky) workaround for handling multiple department contacts. The obscenely HUGE (and frankly pointless) history display in the same window was just salt in the wound.

I hoped a better user experience would be available in "new" Teams, but it seems what little that made it bearable has been removed (in classic Microsoft fashion). I reverted within 2 minutes of trying the "new" version.

The ability to group contacts makes a nasty UI a bit better to use. Losing it seems counter-intuitive to anything approaching a smooth workflow for anyone with multiple contacts in multiple departments.

[#19]

@Skotzmun As mentioned above, the People app is the replacement for Contacts in the new Teams client, might not be available to everyone yet but it is coming.

[#20]

@Steven Collier - you'll forgive me if the combination of "Microsoft have randomly removed a usable feature" and "Coming soon from Microsoft to replace..." does not fill me with confidence.

I believe the phrase "Thirty years of hurt" sums it up quite well. :\