As Microsoft eases out Skype, it’s steering users towards Teams, but there’s a bit of a twist waiting in the wings. By May, when the sun sets on Skype support, Teams will already be scaling back a feature that some users have found handy.
Looking ahead to April 2025—which, believe it or not, is just a hop, skip, and a jump away—Microsoft Teams will stop supporting the use of SMS text messages. Currently, this feature allows users to pair their Android devices with Teams, letting text messages from the phone show up directly in the Chats section under Recent. It’s a neat feature, but its days are numbered.
A memo from Microsoft has addressed this upcoming change: “Important: Starting April 2025, the ability to send and receive SMS messages from your Android device on Teams will no longer be supported. If you’re looking to continue this feature on Windows, turn to Phone Link. Find out more details here,” it advises.
Microsoft hasn’t officially stated why this change is happening, but it’s quite likely that users have been gravitating towards Phone Link or similar alternatives, finding them more seamless for SMS messaging than the integration with Teams.
Now, if you’re wondering what this means for sending SMS from your PC, there’s no need to worry. Despite the shift away from Teams, you can still handle your text messaging on a Windows PC using Phone Link. Microsoft’s Phone Link, which has been around for a while, albeit formerly under the name Your Phone, is more than ready to step in. It allows for syncing a range of content like messages and photos between your phone and computer.
The depth of features you can explore with Phone Link largely hinges on the type of phone you use. For the most cohesive experience, having a Samsung Galaxy phone is your best bet, as it offers the deepest integration. Selected OnePlus models also team up well with Phone Link. Even if your phone isn’t one of these, most Android devices can manage the essential content synchronization with a PC. iPhone users might find the options more limited, but Phone Link does accommodate making calls and replying to texts.
Jez Corden, our Managing Editor, once crowned Phone Link as the standout Windows feature of the past ten years back in 2022—and it’s easy to see why. For those relying heavily on SMS and calls, Phone Link proves invaluable. However, suppose you’re more entrenched in apps like WhatsApp or Telegram. In that case, you might find yourself dipping into other ecosystems for messaging conveniences.
