With Skype’s days numbered, Microsoft’s nudging users toward Teams. However, as Skype exits the stage by May, Teams is already preparing to drop a feature before that time arrives.
Come April 2025, which isn’t too far off now, Microsoft Teams will stop supporting SMS text messaging. As it stands, this feature allows Android users to link their devices to Teams, letting SMS messages appear in the Chats section under Recent.
According to a Microsoft document, this transition marks the end of an era for certain users: "Important: Starting April 2025, sending and receiving SMS messages from your Android device will no longer be supported in Teams. To continue using this feature on Windows, please use Phone Link. Learn more here," is how they put it.
Why this change, you ask? Microsoft hasn’t spelled it out. But it’s likely that people have leaned more towards Phone Link or other apps instead of merging Teams with SMS.
How can I send SMS text messages from a PC?
Even though Teams is parting ways with its link feature for Android, you can still send and receive SMS on Windows using Phone Link. An image from Windows Central illustrates how Microsoft’s Phone Link app lets you manage text communications on your PC.
Despite this shift, don’t worry about losing functionality. Phone Link, formerly known as Your Phone, has been enabling users for years to sync texts, photos, and other content between their phones and PCs.
The experience you get largely depends on your phone model. Samsung Galaxy users will enjoy the fullest feature set, with several OnePlus models also tightly integrated with Phone Link. Other Android users have various syncing options, and even iPhone users, despite some limitations, can make calls and send texts through the app.
Not too long ago, in 2022, Jez Corden, our Managing Editor, hailed Phone Link as the best Windows advancement in a decade. If your day-to-day ties heavily into SMS and phone calls, Phone Link is indeed a solid choice. On the flip side, if alternate ecosystems like WhatsApp or Telegram are more your flavor, Phone Link might not be as crucial to your digital life.
