Teams to Teams (external) chat - has anybody got this working

[Rob O'Keefe]

Has anyone successfully initiated and sustained a 1-1 chat with an external Teams user?

• Is this supposed to be feasible?
• Do you get errors saying undeliverable yet it goes though?
• Do you see "Undefined User" on the mobile app?

The workaround I have used is to create a meeting with that person and then use that chat.

What is the status of this function?

[#2 · Accepted solution]

@Rob O'Keefe 

I have had mixed results with this I must admit.  If the settings in the Teams Admin Center are as below for both parties, then it should work just fine.

However, its doesn't always seem to be that simple.  Sometimes this has worked for me, other times not.  I've never had the time to follow up on this specifically, and I get around this other ways like inviting guests into Teams or meetings to chat.  

If you were looking to troubleshoot this specifically though, I'd recommend opening a support ticket with Microsoft for further guidance.

[#3]

@PeterRising  Thanks... yes our settings are that way and as far as i know the other companies' are also set that way but harder to confirm.

[#4]

Make sure both sides are using Teams Only upgrade modes, if not then you can see inconsistencies based on presence because Skype is not persistent and can be offline at times etc. You can still external chat with Skype for Business users at other companies and if they aren't fully migrated you can see odd issues, especially if they are in Island mode still or something of the sorts. I've used external chat extensively with no issues with Teams Only to Teams Only with multiple tenants for awhile now without issues. .

[#5]

@Chris Webb Thanks for confirming it works. It is hard for me to say whether my associates are Teams Only, i guess they would have to ask their IT departments. It seems fairly clunky. Most people I have tried to initiate a 1-1 chat with have failed or worked inconsistently. Hopefully this smooths out in the future.