Microsoft Teams Meeting App: Which One To Use and How to Join a Meeting

There are several ways to join a Microsoft Teams meeting:

• Desktop app
• Browser app (typically as a guest)
• Mobile app
• 3rd party app (integrated with MS Teams)

In this article, we’ll explore what apps you need to join a meeting in Microsoft Teams and how to use them.

Microsoft Teams Meeting App For Desktop Users

One of the most popular ways to join Microsoft Teams meetings is to use a desktop app.

Microsoft Teams meeting app for desktop lets you join meetings in MS Teams from your computer or a laptop. 

You can join meetings either as a logged-in team member or as a guest without having to log into the app or create a Microsoft account.

How to Join an MS Teams Meeting as a Guest? (Desktop)

An organization can invite you to MS Teams meetings as a guest, and the invitation always comes in the form of an email.

You can either be invited via email to join a meeting as a guest:

or to join a team as a guest.

When you are invited to a meeting, simply click a link in your email to join a meeting. Here you will have two options: download a desktop app or join on the web:

The fastest way to join a meeting will be through a web app. Click on “Join on the web instead” and you’ll be routed directly to the meeting that you were invited to.

Make sure you are using a Microsoft Edge or a Chrome web browser to ensure that the meeting runs smoothly as these two browsers were optimized for the MS Teams web app experience.

When you join an MS Teams meeting as a guest, meeting organizers need to admit you into a meeting. In the event you are not admitted into the meeting within 30 minutes, you will be removed from the lobby. You can try joining again if that happens.

You can also join MS meetings directly from the web browser using this link if you know the meeting ID:

How to Join MS Teams Meeting as a Team Member on Desktop

Joining as Team Member

To join a meeting as a team member using your desktop, you should have an MS Teams app installed on your computer. You can download it from the official website. 

If you are already a member of the team that invited you to the meeting, you have several ways to join a meeting. Open your MS Teams app and make sure the right workspace is opened as you can join several teams on MS Teams app.

From there on, you have several options for joining a meeting. 

• Via a calendar. Open your team calendar and find a meeting that you want to join. Click “Join. Yup can also find meetings by ID if you know it from your email.  
• Via a chat. Meetings that have already begun appearing in your recent chat list. Join the meeting by selecting it in your chat list and clicking Join at the top.
  
• Via a channel. Meetings that take place in channels include an invitation to join, relevant content, and a list of participants. 

You can join MS Teams meetings whenever they are running. You can’t join a meeting that has already ended, but you can join a meeting when it’s in progress.

Joining as a Guest Member of a Team

A company can invite you to the MS Teams workspace as a guest. You will be able to join MS Teams meetings the same way as MS Teams team members, either via a calendar or a chat, but first, you need to enter the workspace.

To do that, open an email with a workspace invitation. Click a link and start the process of creating your guest Microsoft Teams account. After you’re finished, download the Microsoft Teams app and you should automatically be added to the workspace that you were invited to.

Microsoft Teams App For Mobile

You can also join meetings in MS teams using Microsoft Teams mobile app.

How to Join Teams Meetings as a Team Member on Mobile

First of all, make sure you download and install the official MS Teams app for your Android or iOS device through the Google Play store or App store.

Open the mobile app and log in using your MS Teams credentials. You can always restore your password from a login page if you don’t remember it.

Make sure to allow the app to use your microphone and audio. 

How to Join Team Meetings As a Guest on Mobile

If you’re invited to MS Teams meeting as a guest, you can use a link in your email to download a mobile app and join a meeting using it. Keep in mind that there are no alternative ways of joining a meeting from your mobile phone, except if you call in. The call-in details are usually supplied under a meeting link in your email invitation. 

To join using a mobile app, download and open it. In the very first screen select the option “Join meeting”, and enter your name. 

Zoom

Zoom is the most popular video conferencing app for meetings, and many MS Teams use it to host video conferences because it’s easy to set up and share.

In addition, Zoom can be integrated with the MS Teams environment, letting teams launch Zoom meetings directly from Teams channels via a single click of a button or even automatically.

To join a Zoom meeting, all you need is a meeting link and a Zoom application. The meeting link should be sent to you by meeting organizers, typically via email. If you are a member of a Teams environment, the link is then usually shared on one of the channels.

If you don’t have a Zoom application, you’ll be prompted to install one upon clicking the meeting link. It is possible to join a meeting from your browser without downloading Zoom, but that depends on the host’s settings. 

You don’t need to sign up and can join Zoom meetings as a guest. Or you can create a Zoom account to host your own meetings and gain access to more features. 

Zoom meetings can host up to 100 participants on the Pro plan. The number of participants can even be increased up to 1000 with additional plans.

There are also Zoom mobile apps for Android and iOS users if you want to join Zoom meetings from your mobile phone. 

Geekbot For Quick Asynchronous Meetings

Geeksbot is the most popular MS Teams meeting app for asynchronous meetings in Microsoft Teams. 

It’s an extremely efficient solution for teams that experience an avalanche of real-time meetings that drain their productivity.

Instead of having to sit through hours of meetings every week, team members provide short and concise reports directly in MS Teams through a built-in A.I. bot. 

Here’s how it works:

Let’s say you want to run a daily stand-up or status meeting among your developers. Geekbot will automatically send the following questions directly in MS Teams to every teammate:

Every member of your team provides their answers to Geekbot whenever they can. Notice that they are not forced to provide answers at a specific time and they don’t have to wait for others to provide their answers as it usually happens during real-time meetings.

After each team member answered Geekbot questions, Geekbot automatically gathers everyone’s replies in a designated MS Teams channel.

When everyone’s replies are presented like that, it becomes extremely easy to overview reports of others. You don’t have to try and remember what everyone said in a real-time meeting because everyone’s report will be in front of you in a readable format.

Additionally, team members can follow up on each other’s replies directly in MS Teams app without having to distract everyone.

Remember that last time when a manager discussed an issue with one team member and the remaining 7 were listening? Not happening anymore. 

The questions that Geekbot asks can be customized, so you can configure the app to run daily standups, asynchronous retrospectives, team polls, team huddles, and many more. 

Geekbot has an intuitive UI and offers dozens of templates to help you fine-tune meetings to your needs within seconds. 

To integrate Geekbot with MS Teams, simply open Apps tab when in Microsoft Teams, search for Geekbot, and click “Add”. 

Geekbot is free for small teams with up to 10 participants. To use Geekbot, simply create a Geekbot account and open Geekbot in Microsoft Teams apps.