Developer built a small WFH app to fix Teams' annoying status problem
A developer got frustrated with Microsoft Teams automatically changing their status and built a small app to fix it. They shared it on Reddit as a side project.
Microsoft Teams tends to mark you as 'Away' the moment you step back from your keyboard, which can make remote workers look unresponsive even when they're just grabbing coffee. Rather than accepting the annoyance, this developer built a lightweight app to manage their own status more deliberately and posted it to the r/SideProject community.
This kind of 'scratch your own itch' project is a classic starting point for solo app builders. If enough other remote workers share the frustration, a small paid app or subscription could be a viable product. Based on the post alone, details about features and monetization are not yet clear, so this appears to be an early-stage share rather than a launched product.
Key points
- Built to solve a personal pain point: Teams auto-marking you as Away
- Classic example of a side project born from everyday frustration
- Remote work tools remain a steady niche market as hybrid work continues
- Released at an early MVP stage — features and pricing not yet confirmed
- 'Scratch your own itch' projects often find a ready audience quickly
Quick term guide
- side project
- A small project someone builds outside their main job or main business.
- r/SideProject
- A Reddit forum where people share small personal products and projects.
- scratch your own itch
- A startup approach where you build a product to solve a problem you personally experience.
- subscription
- A pricing model where you pay a fixed amount of money every month for access.
- script
- A small program that automates repeated steps.
- monetization
- The process of turning a free product or service into something that earns real money
- Niche market
- A small, specific part of a market that has its own unique needs.
- niche
- A very specific, narrow segment of a market or customer group.