Chat bubbles might finally roll out to Microsoft Teams this month

What you need to know

• Chat bubbles could soon roll out for Microsoft Teams.
• The feature has messages appear over the top of meetings within floating bubbles.
• Microsoft first announced the feature last July.

Microsoft first announced chat bubbles for Microsoft Teams back in July 2020. Now, it appears that the feature could finally roll out as soon as this month. Chat bubbles make it easier to see messages during a meeting by presenting them in bubbles above video feeds.

Features similar to chat bubbles are available on other apps and services, such as Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp. Within Teams meetings, you'll be able to see what people type within floating bubbles that appear for everyone.

"Chats sent during a Teams meeting will surface on the screens of all meeting participants, making the chat more central to the conversation," reads the description of the feature from the Microsoft 365 roadmap.

The roadmap lists the feature as "In development" and notes that it could be released this month, though dates on the roadmap are always subject to change.

Right now, when you're in a meeting, you have to open up the chat panel on the side of a meeting. Chat bubbles provide an option to display messages within meetings that saves more room for video feeds.

Chat bubbles can be turned off if you'd prefer to use the chat panel on the side of meetings.