Microsoft announced a plan to offer Teams as a standalone app globally, after separating the service from its other products in Europe last year.

Reuters reported the change in how the tech giant offers Teams followed a European Commission investigation into its bundling of the app with Microsoft 365 and Office 365 products.

To address antitrust concerns, Microsoft spun-off Teams from its commercial Office products across the EU and Switzerland in August 2023.

Effective 1 April, customers can either continue with their current licensing deal, renew, update or switch to the new offers.

A representative from Microsoft told Mobile World Live the decision to unbundle Teams from Office globally was done to ensure clarity for its customers and with the EC in mind.

“Doing so also addresses feedback from the European Commission by providing multinational companies more flexibility when they want to standardise their purchasing across geographies.”

The news agency reported Microsoft’s decision to carve out Teams from Office may not be enough to stave off EC antitrust charges, which could be sent to the company over the coming months.