What you need to know
- Microsoft will shut down its standalone “Flip” app, which is an education-focused video application.
- The core functionality of Flip will be migrated to Microsoft Teams for Education, though some features will not be added to Teams.
- Once called Flipgrid, Microsoft purchased the app in 2018 and later renamed it to “Flip.”
- Microsoft has already removed the option to download Flip and has changed the app to view-only mode.
- Users can download their content until September 30, 2024, after which videos and other data will be deleted.
Six years after acquiring Flipgrid (now known as Flip), Microsoft will shut down the standalone app for the education-focused video service. Flip provided a way for educators to send videos to students organized into groups and topics. The app has been around in some form since 2012, albeit under different names. Now, Microsoft will sunset the app and migrate its core features into Teams for Education.
Microsoft shifted Flip to view-only mode on July 1, 2024. Users can download their content but not create any new videos. That option will remain until September 30 of this year, after which all videos and data will be deleted. Microsoft outlines the process of Flip being shut down in a support page.
“In order to streamline the number of apps educators need to use in their classroom and integrate Flip into more natural assignment rhythms, we have moved some of the core Flip features into Teams for Education and will be retiring our web site and mobile apps by September 30, 2024,” said Microsoft.
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Getting rid of the Flip app and migrating core features to Teams for Education is meant to streamline the user experience. Having to jump between fewer apps should make things a bit easier, but only if you’re already in the Teams for Education ecosystem. In the FAQ section of its help page, Microsoft’s answer to the question “My school does not use Teams for Education, and I would like to try the Flip camera option inside Teams. What do I do?” is basically “use Teams for Education.”
There are also some features that will not be added to Teams for Education, including comments, Mixtapes, and augmented reality.
Microsoft has several resources to help those migrating to using Flip features within Teams for Education, such as how to create a Flip video in Teams and how to create a space for sharing Flip videos.
Students and educators will still be able to see Flip content until September 30. The option to download content will remain until that cutoff date as well. On October 1, 2024, Microsoft will delete videos and other data, giving students and educators just over a month to grab any content they need to save.