Using Teams to Replace Skype

[Mike Dumka]

Hi There, 

I am having trouble figuring out how to use Teams as my only client and shut down Skype. I know that if I do not have Skype running I will get the notifications in Teams. But I only want 1 client. 

So my first big question is how do I send a message to a Skype user from Teams?

Thanks

[#2 · Accepted solution]

Hi Mike. You'll still need Skype (for Business) for online meetings and calls with people outside your organization. You can hold a meeting within your org using Microsoft Teams, but attendees will need to be members of the team. Teams meetings have a limit of 80 attendees. You can share your screen in a Teams meeting. But if your org is in the practice of recording meetings, this feature isn't available in Teams yet. 

As for Skype for Business Interop

• Interoperability between Microsoft Teams and Skype for Business is currently available for peer to peer (P2P) instant messaging only.
• For a Microsoft Teams user to send an IM to a Skype for Business user, the Microsoft Teams user must be enabled with their account homed in Skype for Business Online.
• Incoming Skype for Business messages can be responded to on the Microsoft Teams client

- "Plan, Deliver and Operate Microsoft Teams" from the Planning Workshop PowerPoint at https://www.successwithteams.com/#Download.

[#3]

And by the way, Teams is not aimed to replace Skype for Business or any other collaboration tool in the Office 365 ecosystem...the scenario you have just described is a good example. Teams is not designed as an IM solution to work with both organizational and not organizational users

[#4]

That's right. The IM / Calls / Meetings are for enriching the real-time collaboration within the Team. Skype extends beyond the Team.

[#5]

Hmm, I'm not so sure anymore, after seeing this in my Office 365 tenant:

[#6]

This is going to confuse lots of folks! Is this really just an advert for Microsoft Teams and a nudge for those users to check out Teams, or something else? Either way, it seems poorly worded and out of place.

[#7]

We've also seen this? Does anyone know if it's reversable?

As I understand Teams isn't a replacement for Skype so this feels wrong.

/Thomas

[#8]

Same for us (French users) 
A bit confusing as we have some users fully online and for whom we can't let them without Skype IM...

Answer awaited with a huge restlessness...

[#9]

Nico, I found your article helpful with more background info - Office 365 Mail pushing Microsoft Teams.  Sounds like this is (was?) just a temporary glitch but we can read more into if want to ;)

[#10]

I agree - I am all for MS Teams. We love it, but this was an unwelcome surprise on many levels. MS owes its customers an explanation QUICKLY.

[#11]

We have the same issue (large manufacturing MNC).

[#12]

Microsoft can't really do this until they have external guest access and federation working for Teams. My users of Skype Online (through OWA) cannot contact externals... It is impacting my Service Desk. 

UPDATE: Microsoft recognized this was a little mistake. It is fixed.

[#13]

I agree with the frustration. This cannot be done this way, i haven't really understood that this was going to happen and i don't see any information about this change. 

It's creating a lot of confusion since we have disabled teams up until we can figure out how that space can interact (if) with our way of working which now consists of mainly yammer for social collaboration. Yes, I understand the advantages of teams but we are trying to avoid too much confusion too early.

Microsoft, this is extremely unfortunate and badly implemented/informed.

[#14]

This story got picked up by Mary Jo Foley - Microsoft may be repositioning some (or all) of Skype for Business as Teams pointing to this very thread, that answers some of the questions many of us had.

"A number of Office 365 users received a big surprise today when trying to log onto Skype for Business."

[#15]

Now confirmed -

"We're upgrading Skype for Business to Microsoft Teams. This will take us some time to complete. For now, this is an opt-in experience, as we continue to work on enhancing the Microsoft Teams experience."

[#16]

I've got that message in the Admin center too but no other sign of it, and hope this is one of their crazy ideas that doesn't come to pass!?!

[#17]

It's a pity the additional information link goes nowhere.

[#18]

For testing purposes, we have multiple O365 tenants.  This message appeared in all of them today.  Within an hour, all of the messages were gone.  Oooops.  

[#19]

Same for us.

[#20]

Today, we have another surprise. You can add external guest users - but it doesn't work after you add them.

The external guest gets an email saying they've been added, but when they try to get in, it fails...