Microsoft is one step closer to removing Teams Chat in Windows 11

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Key Takeaways

Microsoft is removing the Teams integration in the Windows 11 Beta Channel.
Windows 11 build 22631.2338 now features Microsoft Teams - Free as the default pinned app on the taskbar.
Windows 11 builds 22621.2338 and 22631.2338 mainly include bug fixes and also introduce a new widget.

Microsoft has released two new Windows 11 Beta channel builds, and the one that's usually all about bringing new features actually removes one. Indeed, Windows Insiders running Windows 11 build 22631.2338 with new features rolling out, should now notice that Microsoft is going one step closer to ditching Teams in Windows 11. In that build, the Chat is now Microsoft Teams – Free. As for Windows 11 Beta Channel build 22621.2338, it's a smaller release with just bug fixes. Both builds are getting a new focus widget.

It's not new that Microsoft is removing the Teams integration in Windows 11, we already knew this since June when it was removed in the Dev Channel. Today's move trickles down that change to the more stable Beta channel. Unlike the old Chat app, Microsoft Teams – Free will now be pinned by default to the taskbar and can be unpinned like other apps on the taskbar. This is the same Teams for consumer and personal app you can use in Windows 10. This change only applies to build 22631.2338, though. Other changes in this release can be seen below.

Fixed an issue which was causing some Insiders to see untranslated text in some areas across the system, including in File Explorer and Settings. If you’re continuing to see issues with translations, please file feedback.
Fixed an issue where dragging app icons in the taskbar may sometimes lead to an explorer.exe crash.
Fixed an issue which was causing some Insiders to see labels in their taskbar unexpectedly.
Fixed an issue causing Task Manager to not launch for some Insiders.
Fixed an issue for dark mode users, where you would see a white flash when opening File Explorer.
Fixed an issue where after changing between dark and light mode, the icons in the command bar and context menu might become very difficult to see.
We made some more improvements to help with the performance of loading Home. Also fixed a memory leak related to Home that would grow each time Home was refreshed or accessed.
Fixed an issue where Settings wasn’t launching in safe mode for some Insiders.
Fixed an issue where the dialog when collecting a process memory dump erroneously said it was collecting a kernel memory dump.
Fixed an issue where you may not see the notification on first update to a build with dynamic lighting, letting you know that dynamic lighting is enabled.

As for both build 22621.2338 & vuild 22631.2338, it's mainly bug fixes. There's also a new widget. As part of a Clock app update (version 11.2306.22.0 and higher) you will be able to quickly start and stop focus sessions through the Widgets board. Other changes can be seen below.

The Camera app, Cortana, Photos app, and People app can be uninstalled.
New! This update completes the work to comply with the GB18030-2022 requirements. It removes and remaps characters for Microsoft Wubi input and Microsoft Pinyin U-mode input. You can no longer enter character codepoints that are not supported. All the required codepoints are up to date.
This update addresses an issue that affects sleep mode. After you resume from sleep, a blank window appears that has the title “Windows Input Experience.”
This update affects the Key Distribution Center (KDC) and user security identifiers (SID). KDC now reads the user SID from the Subject Alternative Name (SAN) of a certificate. Because of this, mobile device management (MDM) providers can use offline templates to fill in the user SID. To learn more, see KB5014754.
This update addresses an issue that affects IMEPad. It stops working. This occurs when you enter end-user-defined characters (EUDC).
This update addresses an issue that affects authentication. Using a smart card to join or rejoin a computer to an Active Directory domain might fail. This occurs after you install Windows updates dated October 2022 or later. For more details, see KB5020276.
This update addresses an issue that affects Microsoft Excel. It stops responding when you try to share a file as a PDF in Microsoft Outlook.
This update addresses an issue that affects Remote Apps. The display of some elements is not aligned correctly.
This update supports daylight saving time (DST) changes in Greenland.
This update addresses an issue that affects account lockout event 4625. The format of the event is wrong in the ForwardedEvents log. This occurs when an account name is in the user principal name (UPN) format.
This update addresses an issue that affects XPath queries on FileHash and other binary fields. It stops them from matching values in event records.
This update changes the spelling of Ukraine’s capital from Kiev to Kyiv.
This update addresses an issue that affects Windows Defender Application Control (WDAC). AppID Tagging policies might greatly increase how long it takes your device to start up.
This update addresses an issue that affects events that have a TAB character. The events do not render, or you cannot forward them.
This update addresses an issue that might make Windows stop responding. This might occur if you use Microsoft OneDrive files that are compressed by NTFS.
This update addresses an issue that might cause a user-mode memory leak. It might occur when you call CopyFile() or MoveFile().
This update addresses an issue that affects an Application Virtualization (App-V) environment. Copy operations within it stop working. This occurs after you install the April 2023 update.
This update addresses an issue that affects some USB printers. Microsoft Defender stops them from printing.
This update addresses an issue that affects Microsoft Print to PDF. It uses the metadata for the name you sign in with as the author of a printed PDF. It should use the display name instead.
This update addresses an issue that is related to changes in the forwarding of events.
This update addresses an issue that affects the Microsoft Distributed Transaction Coordinator (DTC). It has a handle leak. Because of this, the system runs out of memory.
This update removes a blank menu item from the Sticky Keys menu. This issue occurs after you install KB5029351.
This update addresses an issue that affects application compatibility. It is related to Microsoft Defender for Endpoint.

It's relatively rare to see Microsoft kick off this week with a Windows Insider build. That leaves us to see if we'll get a Windows 11 Dev Channel release later this week, too. As for everyone else running the stable version of Windows 11? Microsoft shipped an update today that delivers improvements to the search box gleam, and fixes bugs with Sticky Keys.