How To Use Microsoft Teams With Other Platforms

How to use Microsoft Teams with other platforms is fast becoming one of the most frequently asked questions for the Mio team.

Be it other collaboration apps like Google Chat or Zoom, hundreds of people use Mio each week to solve their cross-platform collaboration concerns.

In this post, we cover:

1. Is Microsoft Teams cross-platform?
2. Can I use Microsoft Teams with someone outside of my organization?
3. Why can't I add guests to Microsoft Teams?
4. Can I use Microsoft teams on multiple devices?

1 - Is Microsoft Teams cross-platform?

In the Teams world, cross-platform can mean two things:

• Platforms means operating systems like Android, iOS, Windows, Linux
• Platforms means other collaboration apps like Google Chat and Zoom Team Chat

What platforms does Microsoft Teams work on?

Across operating systems, Microsoft Teams is cross-platform.

Teams is supported on Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, and Linux.

This means you can choose to use Teams on any device that use these operating systems.

You can also use a combination of platforms. For example, you can use Teams on your Windows laptop and your iPhone.

Everything is synced between devices so you can continue messaging your colleagues while you're on the move.

Other collaboration apps (Google Chat and Zoom Team Chat)

You can send messages from Microsoft Teams to Google Chat or Zoom Team Chat by using Mio.

Mio enables you to invite users of Google Chat or Zoom Team Chat to join your Microsoft Teams channel and message cross-platform.

You can also opt to direct message or start a group chat for more private conversations.

The best thing is that you don't have to switch platforms.

There's no UI change either.

You stay in Teams.

They stay on their platform.

Now you can chat with every single colleague, regardless of their preferred platform.

2 - Can I use Microsoft Teams with someone outside of my organization?

Microsoft enables both guest access and external access in Teams.

There are subtle differences between the two options.

3 - Why can't I add guests to Microsoft Teams?

If you're not the Teams administrator, you need to ask your Teams administrator for permission to add guests to Teams.

Some IT teams like to lockdown their Teams tenant for governance reasons.

If you need to add guests to Microsoft Teams, make sure you communicate why the external users need access - and ensure they are accessing from a secure domain.

If they are an approved supplier or contractor, you'll stand more chance of getting approval to add guests to Microsoft Teams.

Your IT team may ask you to get your external contact to complete a security review before granting you the necessary permissions.

4 - Can I use Microsoft Teams on multiple devices?

Yes, you can use Microsoft Teams on multiple devices.

You can also use a combination of platforms. For example, you can use Teams on your Windows laptop and your iPhone.

Everything is synced between devices so you can continue messaging your colleagues while you're on the move. You can access files, call your contacts, and set up meetings from any device.

You can even use Teams on multiple devices at the same time.

For example, if you've joined a Teams call from your mobile, you can join the same meeting from your laptop to share content.

Likewise, you can use a separate device like a Bluetooth headset for your mobile to join the audio portion of your Teams meeting while using your laptop to watch the video meeting.

How to use Microsoft Teams with other platforms

Mio is the only native, bi-directional solution to connect Microsoft Teams to Google Chat or Zoom Team Chat.

"Before finding Mio, we had to use multiple chat apps to maintain our high standard of customer service, but Mio allows for a seamless and unified experience."

- Chris Jones, Promethean IT

To use Microsoft Teams with other platforms, click here to learn more about Mio.