Note: These trial capabilities are available worldwide except for India. They are not available for Education or Government customers.

Key points:

• Timing: January 26, 2022
• Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID: 90047 and 88821
• Control: Admin control – Manage self-service purchases (Admin)

How this will affect your organization:

Once available, users’ existing business logins can be used to sign up or request licenses for the following trials on their established tenants managed by their organization.

Eligible subscriptions* include:

• Project Plan 1
• Project Plan 3
• Visio Plan 1
• Visio Plan 2

Global or billing admins: Admins can use the same self-service purchase controls to disable self-service trials while making use of subscription management capabilities to oversee and manage trial licenses on the License page in the Billing section of Microsoft 365 admin center. If admins disabled the self-service purchase functionality for Project and Visio in the past, self-service trials sign up for individuals or departments automatically will allow users to request licenses directly from you.

What you need to do to prepare:

Review your current self-service purchase configuration and ensure it is set appropriately for the experience appropriate for your organization.

Discover more on how to manage self-service licenses acquired by individuals or departments in your organization by reviewing Manage self-service purchases (Admins) | Microsoft Docs.

Additional Information
View this message in the Microsoft 365 admin center

As previously mentioned (MC280294 – August), this new release will update the channel rename experience in Teams to simultaneously rename the corresponding folder in SharePoint sites whenever a channel in Teams is renamed. We are taking this step to eliminate the difficulty in tracking, across all Microsoft 365 endpoints, that occurs when a channel in Teams is renamed and the corresponding folder’s naming convention is not updated accordingly in SharePoint. This will rollout on Teams desktop and web.

Key points

• Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID:72211.
• Timing: late February through late April
• Roll-out: tenant level
• Control type: admin control
• Action: review and assess

How this will affect your organization

This new feature’s pairing of the naming convention between Teams channels and the corresponding SharePoint folders will help to eliminate confusion across all Microsoft 365 endpoints, providing greater clarity for users.

This new feature will be available for all Standard and Private channels that are renamed after the rollout.

• For Standard channels – The corresponding folder in SharePoint will be renamed.
• For Private channels – For Private channels, the corresponding folder in SharePoint will be renamed.
• For legacy Teams channels that were renamed prior to this rollout – There will be no change in experience. When a legacy channel is renamed after this release, it will simultaneously rename the corresponding SharePoint folder.
• Upon renaming a channel, the new folder name will only reflect the same name in the corresponding OneDrive sync client when the whole document library has been synched. When only the channel folder is synched, the new name will not be reflected in the OneDrive sync client.
• SharePoint name auto updated when Teams channel renamed

What you need to do to prepare

You might want to notify your users about this new capability and update your training and documentation as appropriate.

Review any automated script dependency on channel folders in SharePoint.

View this message in the Microsoft 365 admin center

	EOP: Anti-Malware policy – Quarantine notifications for recipient
	Act by: February 28
	MC303513 | December 10 – We will be retiring the recipient and sender notification configuration in the UI from anti-malware policies starting in March 2022.Instead, we recommend using quarantine policies, which allow administrators to configure and deliver notifications to recipients.
	View more
	Security hardening change: Enforce policies for Trusted Documents
	MC302216 | December 7 – This feature update will change the behavior of Office applications to enforce policies that block active content (ex. macros, ActiveX, DDE) on Trusted Documents. Previously, active content was allowed to run in Trusted Documents even when an IT administrator had set a policy to block it. As part of ongoing Office security hardening, the IT administrator’s choice to block active content will now always take precedence over end-user set trusted documents.This message is associated with Microsoft…
	View more
	Basic Authentication – Monthly Usage Report – November 2021
	MC302129 | December 6 – We’re making some changes to improve the security of your tenant. We announced in 2019 that we would be retiring Basic Authentication for legacy protocols, and in September 2021, we confirmed that we would begin to disable Basic Authentication for in-use protocols beginning October 2022.We previously communicated this change via Message Center: MC191153 (Sept. ‘19), MC204828 (Feb. ‘20), MC208814 (April ‘20), MC237741 (Feb. ‘21) and MC286990 (Sep. ’21). You can always read the latest information…
	View more

Additional updates

	Groups icon change in Outlook on web
	MC303512 | December 10 – The Microsoft 365 Groups icon seen under the Groups section in left navigation pane will be changed. This change is applicable only to Outlook on Web application. Currently it is represented by a folder icon. It will be replaced by the Groups icon. This icon change will bring visual coherence between Outlook on Web and Outlook Desktop application. This message is associated with Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 85632.
	View more
	Microsoft Teams: Press to unmute
	MC303510 | December 10 – You can now stay muted to avoid unwanted background noise during a meeting and rapidly respond when called upon. You can now use a shortcut to unmute while holding down the keys Ctrl+Space (Windows) and Option+Space (macOS), then release keys to go back to muted state again. The feature is supported only on Teams Desktop. This message is associated with Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 83419 and 83610.
	View more
	(Updated) Plan for Change: Intune MDM moving to support Android 8.0 and higher in January
	MC302493 | December 9 – Updated December 09, 2021: We have updated the content below to show as intended. Thank you for your patience.As mentioned in MC290233, Microsoft Intune will be moving to support Android 8.0 (Oreo) and higher for mobile device management (MDM) enrolled devices on or shortly after January 7, 2022.
	View more
	(Updated) Planner tasks storage location update
	MC289682 | December 9 – Updated December 09, 2021: We have updated the rollout timeline below. Thank you for your patience.We are pleased to roll this out after the delay (MC229058 – May ’21). Starting in mid-October 2021, a copy of some Planner tasks will be stored in a user’s Exchange mailbox. All Planner tasks will continue to be stored in the Planner Service.
	View more
	(Updated) SharePoint Navigation Switcher
	MC285021 | December 9 – Updated December 09, 2021: We have updated the rollout timeline below. Thank you for your patience.This feature update will bring users a new navigation option feature for SharePoint team sites. Team site owners will be able to switch the team site navigation orientation from vertical to horizontal. Additionally, site navigation visibility can be turned off completely. This new navigation option allows site owners to customize their team site by changing navigation’s orientation and visibility…
	View more
	(Updated) Conversation search in Office.com and SharePoint
	MC299210 | December 8 – Updated December 08, 2021: We have updated the rollout timeline below. Thank you for your patience.Microsoft Search is adding the capability to find relevant Microsoft Teams, and Outlook conversations when searching in SharePoint and Office.com. This message is associated with Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 68779.
	View more
	Sharing Links that Block Download are now available for most video
	MC302489 | December 8 – Sharing Links that Block Download are now available for most video & audio files stored in OneDrive and SharePoint. When users share individual video and audio files, they will now have the ability to create sharing links that prevent recipients from downloading the file. Recipients can continue to view the files via the in-product playback experiences. See additional information for more information about supported video and audio files in Microsoft 365. This message is associated with…
	View more
	Send As Group by Default
	MC302487 | December 8 – Microsoft 365 Groups in Outlook currently supports “Send As” functionality which enables group members to Send As a group (“From” address has group id) rather than as an individual. Group members should have this permission configured for the specific Groups by admins to make use of Send As capability. For the groups where user has Send As permissions enabled, user has the option to pick the groups account in the “From” address. Today, by default, the email loads up with individual email id in…
	View more
	Pages Text Toolbar Updates
	MC302485 | December 8 – This feature update will enable the ability to access all simple text editing tools from the floating horizontal web part toolbar, rather than having to open the right property pane for editing options. This floating toolbar will now dynamically resize to match the width of your Text web part, maximizing the number of tools you immediately see. All other tools, and the property pane, can be accessed from the ellipse drop down menu.This message is associated with Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 82180.
	View more
	Use of Azure Active Directory Dynamic Groups now supported for SharePoint Online audience targeting
	MC302460 | December 8 – We now officially support the use of Azure Active Directory Dynamic Groups to be used as audiences within SharePoint Online’s audience targeting system. Previously, we supported Active Directory (AD) security groups and Microsoft 365 groups. Support of dynamic groups will expand capabilities of SharePoint’s audience targeting to deliver additional richness in the types of groups that can be used.
	View more
	Improved Teams Guest User Usability (previously posted as MC300029)
	MC302456 | December 8 – *This is a re-post of MC300029 as it expired prematurely on the incorrect date and may not be visible to admins anymore.We will be updating guest user functionality within the Microsoft Teams app. This message is associated with Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 88430.
	View more
	(Updated) Paging in Large Gallery
	MC263055 | December 7 – Updated December 07, 2021: To ensure an optimal experience we will not be rolling out Video Gallery (3×3) at this time. We will communicate via Message center when we are ready to proceed. This feature introduces paging to help you view up to 98 videos by choosing Large Gallery (Teams meetings currently supports up to 49 videos). This is rolling out on Windows, desktop and Mac.This message is associated with Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 84464and 86480
	View more
	(Updated) Private drafts for SharePoint pages and news
	MC291100 | December 7 – Updated December 07, 2021: We have updated the rollout timeline below. Thank you for your patience.This new feature will provide users the ability to create private drafts for pages and news posts. A private draft will be visible to only the page author, the people the author chooses to share it with, and site admins. Users will be able to create and edit content that’s not ready for others to see except the people with whom users want to collaborate. This message is associated with Microsoft…
	View more
	(Updated) New Experience updates and Microsoft 365 app access
	MC294739 | December 7 – Updated December 07, 2021: We have updated the rollout timeline below. Thank you for your patience.We are bringing back the Coming Soon option to preview the new location for the Mail, Calendar, People, Tasks, and other modules in Outlook for Windows. This message is associated with Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 68205.
	View more
	(Updated) Updated timing changes: Whiteboard on OneDrive for Business
	MC282992 | December 7 – Updated December 07, 2021: The early opt-in for ODB is now fully available. As a reminder, during early opt-in, only the following clients are supported:Whiteboard for the webWhiteboard for Teams meetings and channels Whiteboard on AndroidWhiteboard on iOS The following clients are not yet supported:Whiteboard users joining from Teams mobile Whiteboard on MTR Whiteboard on WindowsWhiteboard on Surface Hub The update for MTR and Teams mobile clients will begin rolling out in mid-January and…
	View more
	Manage Teams and channel connected team sites in SharePoint admin center
	MC302224 | December 7 – We are enhancing the Active site experience in SharePoint admin center to include channel sites that are provisioned when a special channel is added to a Team. Enhancements included in this release: New Teams view that filters the sites list to only sites that are Teams connected. New column identifying the site is connected to teams. New column identifying the team connected site has associated Private or Shared channel sites. Additional entry points from Teams connected site info panel All…
	View more
	Microsoft Teams: Configure your activity feed notifications
	MC302218 | December 7 – Users will be able to control the type of notifications that appear in their activity feed. Right click on the feed item, and you will be able to turn on/off all reactions or stop specific app notifications from surfacing in the activity feed. A key user pain point in activity today is that important information is getting buried and there is just too much noise. Reaction and App activities are one of the top culprits and the ability to turn them off is a top 3 ask from our users. These…
	View more
	Bookings App Added to Teams App Setup Policy Packages
	MC302215 | December 7 – The Bookings Application has now been added to five more app setup policy packages in Teams: Frontline WorkerFrontline ManagerHealthcare Information WorkerSmall Medium Business – No Business VoicePublic Safety Officer If a user is assigned one of the policies listed above, they no longer need to search for the Bookings app within the Teams app store. Bookings will instead be included as one of the default applications that appears on the left-hand rail in Teams.This message is associated with…
	View more

To view all announcements, sign in to Microsoft 365 admin center

Key points:

• Timing: March 2022
• Action: Review and make appropriate changes

How this will affect your organization:

If you have anti-malware policies in your organization which use recipient notifications for quarantined messages, you will need to transition to use the quarantine policies prior to the retirement date. Once this change is implemented, the selections and the resulting notifications will no longer be available in the portal or on the New-MalwareFilterPolicy or Set-MalwareFilterPolicy cmdlets.

In place of recipient quarantine notifications, please use the quarantine policy feature, which is now generally available and is part of the Microsoft 365 anti-malware policies. Admins can use the quarantine policies to specify what users are allowed to do with messages they receive which are quarantined.

Note that notifications from quarantine policies are sent to recipients as a digest at the scheduled time the admin has specified as part of the policy, and not as individual recipient notifications for each quarantined message.

The default quarantine policy that’s used in anti-malware policies, ‘AdminOnlyAccessPolicy’, will not send notifications to recipients. If you want to notify recipients when their messages are quarantined as malware, you need to create a custom quarantine policy with quarantine notifications (end-user spam notifications) are enabled, and then apply that quarantine policy in the Security and Compliance Center.

Review the resources below to learn more:

• Quarantine policy
• Quarantine policies in anti-malware policies
• Anti-malware policies
• Use quarantine notifications to release and report quarantined messages

View this message in the Microsoft 365 admin center

This message is associated with Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 85574.

When will this happen?

Note: This change is released to Insiders in build 2110.

Current channel: we will begin rolling this out in early February and expect to complete rollout early May.

How will this change affect your organization?

The expected impact is when a user opens a previously trusted file with active content that’s enabled. If there’s a policy set by their IT administrator or a trust center setting blocking the active content, the content will remain blocked.

• When this happens, we will display a business bar with a “Learn more” button that leads to a link explaining the change in behavior and links to Commercial guidance for IT Administrators.

We have also added a backstage slab for all files containing active content displaying the trust scenario of the file.

• This backstage notification particularly helps in the situation where the IT administrator has blocked all Trust bar notifications with the policy “Disable all Trust Bar notifications for security issues”.
• For these impacted users with no business bar notification, they can select File/Info and see the backstage Security Information describing the trust scenario for the file.

What do I need to do to prepare for this change?

You might want to notify your users about this change and update your training and documentation as appropriate.

Learn more:

• Manage active content in Office documents
• New security hardening policies for Trusted Documents
• Trusted document settings have changed

View this message in the Microsoft 365 admin center

	Quick Create and Rules for Libraries
	MC301708 | December 4 – We are excited to announce that we are bringing the data visualization and task automation capabilities – previously only available for list data – to document libraries.This message is associated with Microsoft 365 Roadmap IDs 88706, 88716, and 88710.
	View more
	(Updated) Play My Emails: Spotlight
	MC282784 | December 3 – Updated December 03, 2021: We have updated the rollout timeline below. Thank you for your patience.This enhancement to the Play My Emails feature of Outlook Mobile identifies Spotlight Emails (emails deemed important) and prioritizes them to be read first before other email from the inbox.
	View more
	M365 Records Management, Information Governance & eDiscovery– Optimized behavior of file versions preserved in SPO & ODB
	MC288633 | December 3 – Updated December 03, 2021: We have updated the content below for clarity and have adjusted the timeline. Thank you for your patience. To improve performance, any file with multiple versions that is deleted from SharePoint or OneDrive which is preserved to the Preservation Hold Library (due to its applicable retention label, retention policies or eDiscovery holds) will now be retained as a single file containing its full version history, rather than each version being retained as individual…
	View more
	Microsoft OneDrive & SharePoint Library dropdown menu
	MC301473 | December 3 – We’re adding a dropdown menu that allows you to easily switch between multiple document libraries associated with a team or site. Now when you select a team or site within OneDrive, you’ll be taken to the default document library instead of a list of document libraries to choose from. This message is associated with Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 81990.
	View more
	(Updated) Microsoft Viva: Praise History in Microsoft Viva Insights
	MC289968 | December 2 – Updated December 02, 2021: We have updated the rollout timeline below. Thank you for your patience.The Praise app in Microsoft Teams is designed to help recognize the effort that goes into the wide-ranging, collaborative work that Teams users do. Users can send Praise to their colleagues through the messaging extension pinned to the Teams messaging bar for most users or through the Microsoft Viva Insights app in Teams. With Praise history, users will be able to view their sent and received…
	View more
	Records Management & Information Governance update on file deletion behavior when using a retention label in SPO
	MC289965 | November 30 – Updated November 30, 2021: We have updated the rollout timeline below. Thank you for your patience.To improve consistency of user experience between OneDrive and SharePoint, the behavior of any retention label set to “retain items for a specific period” in SharePoint will change to allow users to “delete” the document which will then be preserved in the Preservation Hold Library until the specified period expires.In response to your great feedback and provide more flexibility for different…
	View more

Additional updates

	Encrypted sync in Microsoft Edge is now available
	MC301712 | December 4 – You will soon see a new service plan associated with your Office 365 Business Essentials licensing details. This service plan will enable users to use encrypted sync with Microsoft Edge, the only modern browser to support encrypted sync using a Microsoft 365 account. When enabled, Microsoft 365 account users will be able to sync favorites, settings, addresses, passwords, extensions and collections in a secure way.
	View more
	Updates available for Microsoft 365 Apps for Current Channel
	MC301702 | December 4 – We’ve released updates to the following update channel for Microsoft 365 Apps: Current Channel
	View more
	Microsoft Teams: Pin your own video in Teams meetings
	MC301680 | December 3 – Currently, users can pin video feeds to increase the size of the desired video on their own screen. This new feature update will expand the ability for users to pin their own video on the stage as well as enable users to see their own video in an increased size on their screen.New feature will help to tackle various situations:No more overlaying of the me video box and other participant’s videoYou will be able to see your own video in a bigger scale and adjust the video formYou will have a…
	View more
	Manage Surface Hub devices from Teams admin center
	MC301679 | December 3 – If your organization uses Teams devices for collaboration, now you will also be able to manage Surface Hub devices with Teams from the Teams admin center.This feature is currently going to be in Preview. We’ll be bringing the full-feature set soon after this release.This message is associated with Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 84536.
	View more
	Markup Ink for Edit HVC (high-value Controls)
	MC301676 | December 3 – With markup (ink), users can draw on their photos to convey their messages and reveal the pattern and information perhaps unclear in an initial, surface look when self-teaching and even more important when sharing photos. This message is associated with Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 88481.
	View more
	(Updated) Rich text and images in Planner task notes
	MC295027 | December 3 – Updated December 03, 2021: We have updated the rollout timeline below. Thank you for your patience.We are adding support for rich text (bold, italics, underline, etc.) and images in the Planner task notes field. NOTE: We will update this post once we have Microsoft Graph documentation for the new rich text task notes field available.This message is associated with Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 85688.
	View more
	(Updated) OneDrive: New Command Bar
	MC285602 | December 3 – Updated December 03, 2021: We have updated the rollout timeline below. Thank you for your patience.With this update users will be able to easily identify the right file and access primary commands. The new simplified view will permit users to focus on the content while at the same time being visually pleasing.This message is associated with Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 85602.
	View more
	Plan for Change: Temporary removal of the configuration and compliance policy profile assignment from reporting
	MC301469 | December 3 – Planned for the upcoming 2112 service release, we are making what we anticipate will be a temporary user interface (UI) change to improve reporting performance by removing the iOS/iPadOS Assignment on the configuration and compliance profile reports in Microsoft Endpoint Manager. This information currently displays whether the configuration profile or compliance profile is assigned (yes or no). The same information can be found within a specific profile’s properties.
	View more
	(Updated) Announcing continuous compliance assessments in the Microsoft 365 compliance center
	MC296437 | December 2 – Updated December 02, 2021: We have updated the rollout timeline below. Thank you for your patience.We’re enhancing Compliance Manager’s automated testing and evidence generation functionality, and enabling additional improvement actions and solutions for automated testing. This message is associated with Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 72222.
	View more
	(Updated) Records Management–Announcing public preview of adaptive policy scopes for retention and label policies
	MC280914 | December 2 – Updated December 02, 2021: We have updated the rollout timeline below. Thank you for your patience.This new feature (preview), Adaptive policy scopes, will allow data administrators to scope retention policies and retention label policies to a dynamic set of users, SharePoint sites, or Microsoft 365 Groups. This is enabled by using the properties or attributes associated with these locations. Adaptive policy scopes work with all locations, including Exchange mailboxes, Microsoft 365 Groups,…
	View more
	(Updated) Microsoft Exchange Online – Configuration Change for online meetings by default
	MC267584 | December 2 – Updated December 02, 2021: We have updated the rollout timeline below. Thank you for your patience. Whether you’re working from home or meeting with people in other locations, we will be making a change so that all meetings created in Outlook will automatically be online to allow everyone to attend. This will rollout on desktop, web, mobile and Mac.This message is associated with Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 81995.
	View more
	(Updated) Music Mode for Teams
	MC267133 | December 2 – Updated December 02, 2021: We have updated the rollout timeline below. Thank you for your patience. This new feature release can be used to transmit high fidelity music. Users will be able to conduct online music lessons, transmit music performances, or other non-speech content.This message is associated with Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 83520
	View more
	In Development for Microsoft Intune is now available
	MC301301 | December 2 – The “In development for Microsoft Intune” page in our documentation has been updated.
	View more
	Update: Suggested Replies – Outlook for Office
	MC301300 | December 2 – Update: Outlook on the web will soon be rolling out suggested replies to customers in Outlook for Office.Note: Due to some issues that presented themselves prior to rollout, we paused our planned release until now. Your patience and understanding is appreciated.This message is associated with Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 70802.
	View more
	Updates available for Microsoft 365 Apps for Current Channel
	MC301249 | December 2 – We’ve released updates to the following update channel for Microsoft 365 Apps: Current Channel
	View more
	Plan for Change: New RBAC permission required for Win32 app supersedence and dependency
	Act by: February 1
	MC301050 | December 1 – We recently announced a new role-based access control (RBAC) permission Mobile apps / Relate that allows you to manage relationships with managed apps that use supersedence and dependency features. This permission will be required when creating or editing Win32 app supersedence or dependencies starting in February 2022.
	View more
	Support for viewing and managing application users in legacy web client is deprecated
	MC301007 | November 30 – Beginning February 2022, the list of “Application Users” will no longer be available under Advanced Settings in the Dynamics 365 legacy web client. This change will occur as part of a service update during your regional maintenance window. How do I prepare for this change? We recommend you become familiar with viewing and managing Application Users within the Power Platform admin center. Please see Manage application users in the Power Platform admin center for more information.
	View more
	(Updated) Microsoft Teams: Real time data for Teams Meetings in Teams Admin Center (Preview)
	MC282781 | November 30 – Updated November 30, 2021: Real-Time Call Quality Analytics announced as public preview in September will be generally available in all Microsoft and Office 365 suites and will no longer require Advanced Communications license. Click here to learn more.This new release (preview) of Real-time telemetry metrics for Admin will help you identify issues during a Teams meeting.Note: This feature will be available for all customers as part of the Teams preview.This message is associated with Microsoft…
	View more
	(Updated) Power Apps can now display images from Microsoft Lists
	MC257468 | November 30 – Updated November 30, 2021: We have updated the rollout timeline below. Thank you for your patience. Power Apps image controls can now display images that are stored in image columns in Microsoft Lists. Images can be displayed in four sizes: small, medium, large, or full.This message is associated with Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 81986
	View more

To view all announcements, sign in to Microsoft 365 admin center

When will this happen:

We will begin retiring this in early January 2022 and expect to complete late January 2022.

How this will affect your organization:

When this change is implemented, users and admins will no longer be able to see this Gallery view, but will be able to see the entire workbook view.

What you need to do to prepare:

Note: Instead of using Gallery view, we recommend using Power BI Dashboard to publish selected parts of a workbook.

Learn more:

• Use Browser View Options to specify how you want a workbook to display in a browser window
• Pin a tile to a Power BI dashboard from Excel

View this message in the Microsoft 365 admin center

	Retirement: Display a workbook using gallery view
	MC300018 | November 24 – We will be retiring the Gallery view in SharePoint beginning January 17, 2022. To publish selected parts of a workbook, we recommend the use of Power BI Dashboard which is where we will continue to invest our development resources.
	View more

Additional updates

	Improved Teams Guest User Usability
	MC300029 | November 24 – We will be updating guest user functionality within the Microsoft Teams app. This message is associated with Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 88430.
	View more
	Microsoft Teams: Switch between multiple video cameras in Microsoft Teams Rooms on Windows
	MC300017 | November 24 – This new feature will enable in-room users to switch between multiple video cameras from console on Teams rooms on Windows. For rooms with more than one video camera attached to MTR, users will be able to switch between these cameras during a Teams meeting by selecting camera from the list of available cameras. If the device does not have multiple USB cameras set up with Teams Rooms device in the conference rooms, there will be no difference in experience. You will still be able to utilize…
	View more
	(Updated) Microsoft Teams: Real time data for Teams Meetings in Teams Admin Center (Preview)
	MC282781 | November 24 – Updated November 24, 2021: We have updated the content to reflect that the Advanced Communications add-on license will not be required once Real-time telemetry metrics for Admin is generally available.This new release (preview) of Real-time telemetry metrics for Admin will help you identify issues during a Teams meeting.Note: This feature will be available for all customers as part of the Teams preview.This message is associated with Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 68758.
	View more
	Plan for Change: Profile images in Intune and Company Portal apps will begin using images set in Microsoft 365
	MC299895 | November 24 – Starting in mid-December, the Company Portal apps on Android, iOS, and macOS, and Intune app on Android will be updated to show the user profile image that is set in Microsoft 365. Currently, profile images are populated from Azure Active Directory (Azure AD).
	View more
	(Updated) Image Tags in SharePoint
	MC272451 | November 23 – Updated November 23, 2021: We have updated the rollout timeline below. Thank you for your patience.Currently, when images are uploaded to SharePoint, a column named Tags is automatically created and includes descriptive labels to help with search. With the new update, we will migrate tags from the previous text-based and read only Tags column and implement a new editable Image Tags column. End-users will be able to manually add or remove tags from this column. The tags will also appear in the…
	View more
	(Updated) Mirror my video
	MC298410 | November 23 – Updated November 23, 2021: We have updated the rollout timeline below. Thank you for your patience.Now you will no longer have to see the text flipped. Imagine a scenario in which a primary school teacher has a small whiteboard in hand and is trying to teach school kids basic alphabets. Or imagine you have a virtual background with text in it. While the user on the other end of the meeting can see the text correctly, you see the text flipped. By providing you the option to un-mirror, you will…
	View more
	(Updated) Microsoft Forms: Manage and organize your forms and quizzes now
	MC282783 | November 23 – Updated November 23, 2021: We have updated the rollout timeline below. Thank you for your patience.This new Forms feature release will allow users to manage and group all forms and quizzes as desired and in their own way, to efficiently archive and categorize their forms into collections.This is rolling out desktop, web and mobile.This message is associated with Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 70734.
	View more
	What’s New in the Microsoft Intune Service Update for November 2021
	MC299729 | November 22 – Your Microsoft Intune account has been updated to the latest service build. How does this affect me? You will see the service release number updated in the Tenant Status blade of the Intune console soon. We’ve introduced some changes that we’re excited for you to try out. What do I need to do to prepare for this change? Click additional information below to learn more about what’s new in this service release. We’ll continue to update the What’s New page with any features that are released…
	View more

To view all announcements, sign in to Microsoft 365 admin center

	(Updated) Content type sync enhancements
	MC295852 | November 18 – Updated November 18, 2021: We have updated the rollout timeline below. Thank you for your patience.In July, we announced (MC271079) the rollout of a new sync mechanism for Syntex and SharePoint content types and the subsequent phasing out of the old mechanism. This new mechanism is now fully released to all customers.
	View more
	Basic Authentication – Monthly Usage Report – October 2021
	MC298405 | November 16 – We’re making some changes to improve the security of your tenant. We announced in 2019 that we would be retiring Basic Authentication for legacy protocols, and in September 2021, we confirmed that we would begin to disable Basic Authentication for in-use protocols beginning October 2022.We previously communicated this change via Message Center: MC191153 (Sept. ‘19), MC204828 (Feb. ‘20), MC208814 (April ‘20), MC237741 (Feb. ‘21) and MC286990 (Sep. ’21). You can always read the latest information…
	View more

Additional updates

	Microsoft Intune Management Extension updated check-ins for PowerShell and log collection
	MC299410 | November 19 – Over the next couple of weeks, we will be updating the Microsoft Intune Management Extension check-in times for PowerShell and application log collection used for troubleshooting.
	View more
	Improvements to SharePoint pages authoring
	MC299404 | November 19 – We’re making changes to the editing experience for SharePoint pages to make it easier for users to understand where they are by adding labels, reducing clutter by consolidating actions into a single web part toolbar, and putting authors into focus mode by default to remove visual distractions. This message is associated with Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 82177.
	View more
	Microsoft Secure Score improvement action updates
	MC299403 | November 19 – We’re updating Microsoft Secure Score improvement actions to ensure a more accurate representation of security posture.
	View more
	Microsoft Viva Service health communications
	MC299402 | November 19 – In September 2021 we announced that My Analytics and Workplace Analytics services are becoming part of the Microsoft Viva brand, via MC282545. As part of our continued effort to streamline our Service health communications, service incidents and advisories will be published under the ‘Microsoft Viva’ service listing. Additionally, the ‘Microsoft Workplace Analytics’ service listing will be removed, and all future incidents and advisories will be communicated under ‘Microsoft Viva’.
	View more
	Service health dashboard surfacing issues that require action
	MC299401 | November 19 – There are times when issues may arise in your environment that require an admin to take action. These types of issues are not caused from the Microsoft services being unhealthy but something specific to your organization.
	View more
	Your assisted upgrade from Skype for Business Online to Teams has been scheduled
	MC299397 | November 19 – Your assisted upgrade to help remaining users of Skype for Business Online transition to Microsoft Teams has been scheduled for the week of November 29, 2021. If you’re ready to upgrade now, you may use the tools in the Microsoft Teams Admin Center to upgrade your users anytime before November 29, 2021. Note: If you’re already upgraded to Teams, you can safely disregard this message.
	View more
	Briefing Email from Microsoft Viva: Language Expansion (FR, DE, IT, PT)
	MC299387 | November 19 – The Briefing email from Microsoft Viva helps users start their day on track by surfacing information to prepare for upcoming meetings, follow up on outstanding tasks as well as protect time for independent work. Currently, the briefing email is available for Microsoft 365 Enterprise users with Exchange Online mailboxes in English and Spanish. In June 2021, we announced in a message center post (MC259743) expanded support for Exchange Online mailboxes in French, German, Italian, and Portuguese…
	View more
	(Updated) Mirror my video
	MC298410 | November 19 – Updated November 19, 2021: We have updated the content to show as intended. Thank you for your patience.Now you will no longer have to see the text flipped. Imagine a scenario in which a primary school teacher has a small whiteboard in hand and is trying to teach school kids basic alphabets. Or imagine you have a virtual background with text in it. While the user on the other end of the meeting can see the text correctly, you see the text flipped. By providing you the option to un-mirror, you…
	View more
	(Updated) View Switcher- a new dedicated menu of view options in Teams Meetings
	MC291064 | November 19 – Updated November 19, 2021: We have made the decision to not move forward with the feature at this time. We will communicate via Message center when we are ready to proceed. Thank you for your patience.This new feature will place all of the view related options that are found in Teams Meetings (Gallery, Large Gallery, Together Mode) into a separate, dedicated menu called View Switcher. This will show up on the top left of the meeting window. This message is associated with Microsoft 365 Roadmap…
	View more
	(Updated) End-to-end encryption for Teams calling
	MC259495 | November 19 – Updated November 19, 2021: We have updated the rollout timeline below. Thank you for your patience. End-to-end encryption is the encryption of information at its origin and decryption at its intended destination without the ability for intermediate nodes to decrypt. Teams will support an option to use end-to-end encryption (E2EE) for ad hoc 1:1 Teams VoIP calls. To support customer security and compliance requirements, IT will have full control of who can use E2EE in the organization. This…
	View more
	(Updated) Dynamic e911 for US WFH users
	MC280290 | November 19 – Updated November 19, 2021: We have updated the rollout timeline below. Thank you for your patience.Dynamic e911 provides the ability to dynamically detect a Teams user’s location for emergency calling. Today, e911 is available for users in admin configured locations on enterprise networks only. With this new feature, we will extend the capability to users working remotely from other dynamic locations.This is rolling out on Teams desktop, web and mobile.Note: The release of this feature supports…
	View more
	Isolated Audio for NDI and Hardware-Out
	MC299212 | November 19 – Microsoft Teams will now optionally support isolated audio streams when using Network Device Interface (NDI) or Hardware-Out from Teams Meetings. NOTE: If you are not using NCI hardware you can safely disregard this message. This message is associated with Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 86757.
	View more
	Conversation search in Office.com and SharePoint
	MC299210 | November 19 – Microsoft Search is adding the capability to find relevant Microsoft Teams, and Outlook conversations when searching in SharePoint and Office.com. This message is associated with Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 68779.
	View more
	(Updated) OneDrive and SharePoint: Improved Move/Copy user experience
	MC288642 | November 18 – Updated November 18, 2021: We have updated the rollout timeline below. Thank you for your patience.We’re refreshing the Move/Copy user experience in OneDrive and SharePoint to make it easier for you to move and copy your files and folders.This message is associated with Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 85567
	View more
	(Updated) Exchange online archive–Automatic archive of mailbox items in Purges, Versions and Discovery Holds folders
	MC288630 | November 18 – Updated November 18, 2021: We have updated the content for additional clarity. Thank you for your feedback. We are rolling out an update which will automatically move any mailbox items preserved in the “Purges”, “Versions”, and “Discovery Holds” folders in the primary mailbox to the archive mailbox. Customers will no longer be required to create separate policies for archiving email content in the “Recoverable Items” folders mentioned. This change does not impact the “Deletions” folder which is…
	View more
	(Updated) Send Feedback on Image Tags
	MC286337 | November 18 – Updated November 18, 2021: We have updated the rollout timeline below. Thank you for your patience.Users will now be able to provide feedback on tags associated with an image by using the “Give feedback” option within the details pane of the document library. Using the feedback policy settings, tenant admins will be able to control how much feedback the users can choose to share with Microsoft. This message is associated with Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 68902.
	View more
	(Updated) Meeting Join Custom Branding
	MC268191 | November 18 – Updated November 18, 2021: We have made the decision not to move forward at this time. We will communicate via Message center when we are ready to proceed. Thank you for your patience. This new release of meeting Join Custom Branding will allow tenant admins to upload their company logo to the Teams admin portal so it appears on the meeting pre-join and lobby screens for meetings organized by members of their tenant. The logo will be seen by users joining on desktop, web, and mobile. This…
	View more
	(Updated) Refreshed Microsoft Whiteboard client experience coming soon
	MC279627 | November 18 – Updated November 18, 2021: During our gradual rollout of the new Whiteboard for Windows app, we learned that users love the new features but need some of the old ones back. We’ve also heard that some customers need more time before we automatically require transitioning new boards in OneDrive for Business (ODB) and more flexibility for rolling out the new unified Whiteboard for Windows app. So today, we’re doing two things:We’re pausing the Windows app rollout. Any users already upgraded will…
	View more
	(Updated) Anonymous join policy
	MC297030 | November 18 – Updated November 18, 2021: We have updated the content below with additional details. Thank you for your patience. Administrators will be able to control the ability for anonymous users to join a Microsoft Teams meeting using a new per-organizer policy. This message is associated with Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 87503.
	View more
	Transcription in 1:1 VOIP Calls
	MC298824 | November 18 – Transcription in 1:1 VOIP Calls will soon be available. This message is associated with Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 68774.
	View more
	Custom Backgrounds are now on Android Mobile
	MC298659 | November 17 – We know you love custom backgrounds and blur on iOS, desktop and web, and we are excited to share that those same features are now available on Android mobile devices! This message is associated with Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 82234.
	View more
	Plan for Change: New values for Android conditional launch ‘Require device lock’ configuration
	MC298658 | November 17 – In an upcoming release, we are adding values to the Android conditional launch ‘Require device lock’ where you will be able select a Low, Medium, or High password complexity. See Password complexity for Android devices for the feature announcement.
	View more
	Reminder: IE11 desktop application retires in 7 months on June 15, 2022 – Set up IE mode today (non-LTSC, non-Server)
	Act by: June 15
	MC298657 | November 17 – As announced in (MC257152 – May and MC288052 – Sept), the future of Internet Explorer on Windows 10 is in Microsoft Edge. Internet Explorer mode (IE mode) provides legacy browser support within Microsoft Edge. Because of this, the IE11 desktop application will be retired on June 15, 2022. This means that the IE11 desktop application will no longer be supported and afterwards will redirect to Microsoft Edge if a user tries to access it.With 7 months left before retirement, we highly recommend…
	View more
	(Updated) Co-organizer Meeting Role
	MC292796 | November 16 – Updated November 16, 2021: We have updated the rollout timeline below. Thank you for your patience. Organizers will soon be able to assign the co-organizer meeting role to up to 10 specific people they invite to their meeting. Co-organizers will be granted most of the capabilities of the organizer in the meeting, including being able to access & modify the meeting options for the meeting.Usage of the co-organizer role for a meeting will be optional. If users choose not to use the…
	View more
	(Updated) Hardware Support for AJA and Blackmagic Devices
	MC287353 | November 16 – Updated November 16, 2021: We’ve updated the rollout timeline below. Thank you for your patience. The ability for Teams clients to stream content from a client to the local network via Network Device Interface (NDI) is being expanded to enable streaming content to select attached hardware devices. Users with the ability to turn on NDI will also be able to push content to attached hardware devices from AJA or Blackmagic Designs. This will enable users to push content from Teams out via attached…
	View more
	(Updated) Introducing background effects on web
	MC277112 | November 16 – Updated November 16, 2021: We have updated the rollout timeline below. Thank you for your patience.Introducing background effects on web. If you want to change what appears behind you in your video meeting or call, you can either blur your background or replace it entirely with any image you want.Note: Blurring or replacing your background might not prevent sensitive information from being visible to other people in the call or meeting.This message is associated with Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID…
	View more
	OneDrive: Sharing experience – “Copy Link”
	MC298387 | November 16 – Instead of a Copy link button, you’ll see an entire section where you can set permissions for the link and then copy it to share it with recipients. If you need to update the link permissions, you can do it directly from the Link Created dialog box as well. This message is associated with Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 83728.
	View more

To view all announcements, sign in to Microsoft 365 admin center

	Feature “Related content” is retiring from Classic Yammer
	Act by: December 20
	MC298024 | November 13 – At this time, we recommend using the new Yammer experience and capabilities that are available for our current Yammer App users as we will be retiring the feature Related contentfrom Classic Yammer after December 20, 2021.
	View more
	(Updated) TLS1.2 enforcement for Direct Routing SIP interface
	Act by: January 3
	MC297438 | November 12 – Updated November 12, 2021: We have updated the content below for clarity. Thank you for your feedback.We’re making some changes to Direct Routing SIP interface.On January 3rd 2022, to provide the best-in-class encryption to our customers, we will begin retiring Transport Layer Security (TLS) versions 1.0 and 1.1 and begin obligatingTLS1.2 usage for the Direct Routing SIP interface.The move to TLS 1.2 is to ensure that our service is secure by default and in alignment with the rest of Microsoft…
	View more
	(Updated) Microsoft Viva: Praise History in Microsoft Viva Insights
	MC289968 | November 11 – Updated November 11, 2021: We have updated the rollout timeline below. Thank you for your patience.The Praise app in Microsoft Teams is designed to help recognize the effort that goes into the wide-ranging, collaborative work that Teams users do. Users can send Praise to their colleagues through the messaging extension pinned to the Teams messaging bar for most users or through the Microsoft Viva Insights app in Teams. With Praise history, users will be able to view their sent and received…
	View more
	(Updated) Teams Meeting Recordings Auto-Expiration in OneDrive and SharePoint
	MC274188 | November 11 – Updated November 09, 2021: We have updated this post with guidance on how to take preemptive action. We are not turning on the auto-expiration feature yet. New action is required if you do not want your meeting recordings to auto-expire in January 2022.As part of the evolution of the new Stream (built on SharePoint), we are introducing the meeting recording auto-expiration feature, which will automatically delete Teams recording files stored in OneDrive or SharePoint after a preset period of…
	View more
	(Updated) Office.com updates
	MC295863 | November 8 – Updated November 08, 2021: We have updated the content below to show as intended. Thank you for your feedback. We’re updating the Office.com and Office app for Windows experiences. These updates make it even easier to find all the content associated with you, access your apps and templates in one place, take action quickly, and understand what work needs your attention. This message is associated with Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 85662
	View more
	Microsoft is retiring Security Policy Advisor in the Microsoft 365 Apps admin center
	MC296992 | November 8 – We will be retiring Security Policy Advisor beginning on November 8, 2021. We recommend using the Office cloud policy service, which is where we will continue to invest our development resources.
	View more

Additional updates

	Plan for Change: New message formatting for emails
	MC298037 | November 13 – In early December, we will be transitioning to a new email system. We wanted to inform you that with this change there will be small changes to the message formatting, such as subject lines, font type, wording, etc.
	View more
	Redesigned Microsoft Teams Store Experience
	MC298032 | November 13 – With the newly redesigned Teams Store, you’ll find a landing page optimized for ease of discoverability with rotating banners at the top that spotlights interesting apps and scenarios. You’ll also see intelligent recommendations for apps that are popular amongst your colleagues and across all users on Teams. We’ve also added new curated surfaces that showcase collections of apps that address common scenarios from apps to get you started in Teams. We have also updated app categories to make it…
	View more
	Meeting Activities in Teams Audit Log
	MC298031 | November 13 – This update to the Microsoft Teams audit log adds Meeting Activities to further help organizations effectively respond to security events, forensic investigations, internal investigations, and compliance obligations.
	View more
	Prevent/Fix (Detected): Company Portal update resolves clipboard data toast notification
	MC297995 | November 12 – Android 12 introduced a toast notification when an application accesses the clipboard, regardless of whether the device is MDM enrolled or if apps are protected by app protection policies. In the 2111 Company Portal version 5.05326.0, we have made a change to reduce these notifications. Note: The clipboard data is never stored locally or transmitted to Microsoft.The 2111 Company Portal version 5.05326.0 is currently being rolled out and will be completed next week. Update to 5.05326.0 or later…
	View more
	(Updated) Exchange online archive–Automatic archive of mailbox items in Purges, Versions and Discovery Holds folders
	MC288630 | November 11 – Updated November 11, 2021: We have updated the post for additional clarity and updated the timeline below. Thank you for your patience. We are rolling out an update which will automatically move any mailbox items preserved in the “Purges”, “Versions”, and “Discovery Holds” folders in the primary mailbox to the archive mailbox daily. Customers will no longer be required to create separate policies for archiving email content in the “Recoverable Items” folders mentioned. Once this change finishes…
	View more
	(Updated) New SharePoint Site templates – retail and non-profit
	MC291893 | November 11 – Updated November 11, 2021: We have updated the rollout timeline below. Thank you for your patience.This update will bring four new SharePoint site templates to retail customers, non-profits, and healthcare organizations. The updates will allow organizations to better track, manage information, and collaborate. This will rollout across desktop, web and mobile.This message is associated with Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 85659.
	View more
	(Updated) Outlook for iOS and Android: Play My Emails available in Brazilian Portuguese
	MC292396 | November 11 – Updated November 11, 2021: We have updated the rollout timeline below. Thank you for your patience.We’re expanding Play My Emails on Outlook for iOS and Android to Brazilian Portuguese.This message is associated with Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 85664
	View more
	Viva Connections is now generally available!
	MC297559 | November 11 – Viva Connections, part of Microsoft Viva, is your gateway to a modern employee experience. The Viva Connections app incorporates a customizable dashboard, the feed, and relevant resources all in one experience in the Microsoft Teams mobile, web and desktop.This General Availability (GA) release includes the ability to: Set a SharePoint home site from the SharePoint admin center Create, author, and manage a dashboard from the home site Use the new Dashboard and Feed web parts on the home site…
	View more
	Modern lookup columns
	MC297558 | November 11 – This new feature, Lookup columns, will allow you to connect a list to a column from another list you have on your site. Once connected, you can easily “lookup” other information and include this in your new list. This makes it easy to maintain team-level, centralized lists that contain information you use repeatedly. Note: You can now create look up columns in modern list and document library UI. This message is associated with Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 82156.
	View more
	Update to Mail Flow status summary report
	MC297255 | November 10 – We are bringing an updated view the the Mail Flow status summary report. we will be merging the Funnel view and the Tech view into one consolidated view called the “Mail flow” view. We believe that with the new view it will be easier for Admins to visualize the flow of emails through our filtering system. This message is associated with Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 82173.
	View more
	Classic site collection usage reports moved to a new link
	MC297254 | November 10 – We previously announced in MC244687 (March ’21) that we were relocating classic usage and popularity reports in the SharePoint admin center classic site collection settings. We have now completed this change and apologize for the delay.
	View more
	(Updated) Microsoft Lists: Custom list templates
	MC267581 | November 9 – Updated November 09, 2021: We have updated the rollout timeline below. Thank you for your patience.This new feature will support the addition of custom list templates from your organization alongside the ready-made templates Microsoft provides to make it easy to get started tracking and managing information.
	View more
	Updates available for Microsoft 365 Apps for all channels
	MC297171 | November 9 – We’ve released updates to the following update channels for Microsoft 365 Apps: Current Channel Monthly Enterprise Channel Semi-Annual Enterprise Channel (Preview) Semi-Annual Enterprise Channel
	View more
	Anonymous join policy
	MC297030 | November 8 – Administrators will be able to control the ability for anonymous users to join a Microsoft Teams meeting using a new per-organizer policy. This message is associated with Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 87503.
	View more

To view all announcements, sign in to Microsoft 365 admin center