Microsoft Roadmap, messagecenter and blogs updates from 02-04-2026

Updated April 1, 2026: We have updated the timeline. Thank you for your patience. 

[Introduction]

We are introducing a new dashboard in Teams Admin Center (TAC) that gives admins new visibility into user voice and face enrollment data to help organizations better understand usage of AI-dependent capabilities such as speaker attribution, voice isolation, and face-based room experiences. Dashboard data includes enrollment status, counts, and aggregate metrics

This update also adds the ability for admins to view and delete end-user voice and face enrollment data directly from TAC. These controls strengthen compliance posture and provide more direct management of sensitive data.

This message is associated with Roadmap ID 506750.

[When this will happen:]

General Availability (Worldwide, GCC): We will begin rolling out mid-March 2026 (previously early February) and expect to complete by mid-April 2026 (previously late March).

[How this will affect your organization:]

• Who is affected: Admins managing Microsoft Teams in Teams Admin Center.
• What will happen:
  • A new voice and face enrollment dashboard will appear in Teams Admin Center.

  

  • Admins will gain data deletion capabilities, allowing removal of voice or face enrollment data for individual users or batches of users.
  • Deleted data is permanently removed, and users will need to re-enroll to continue benefiting from features such as speaker attribution or personalized AI meeting experiences.
  • There is no change to default enrollment behavior. Existing policies and user controls remain unchanged.

[What you need to do to prepare:]

• No action is required to enable this feature. It will appear automatically as part of the rollout.

[Compliance considerations:]

No compliance considerations identified. Review as appropriate for your organization.

Updated April 1, 2026: We have updated the timeline. Thank you for your patience. 

[Introduction]

Microsoft Teams will soon automatically remove hidden metadata (EXIF) from images shared in chats and channels. This helps protect sensitive details such as photo location and device information from being shared without user awareness, improving privacy and security.

This message applies to Teams for Windows desktop, Teams for Mac desktop, and Teams for the web and is associated with Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 542795.

[When this will happen:]

• Targeted Release: Rollout begins in late January 2026 and completes by early February 2026.
• Worldwide and GCC: Rollout begins in mid-February 2026 and completes by mid-April 2026 (previously early March).
• GCC High: Rollout begins in late February 2026 and completes by mid-April 2026 (previously mid-March 2026.
• DoD: Rollout begins in early March 2026 and completes by mid-April 2026 (previously late March 2026.

[How this affects your organization:]

• Who is affected: All users sharing images in Microsoft Teams chats and channels.
• What will happen:
  • EXIF metadata (e.g., GPS location, camera model, manufacturer info) will be automatically removed from images shared in Teams conversations.
  • The visible image content remains unchanged.
  • No admin action is required; this feature is enabled by default.
  • If users need to retain EXIF data, they can upload images to OneDrive and share a link via Teams.

[What you can do to prepare:]

• Inform end users, security, and compliance stakeholders that EXIF data will no longer be available in Teams-shared images.
• Update internal documentation or training that references sharing metadata via images.
• Review workflows, diagnostics, or integrations that rely on EXIF data and plan alternatives.

[Compliance considerations:]

No compliance considerations identified, review as appropriate for your organization.

• For more information about Release channels, please see the Release channel overview learn article.
• For more information about how to determine dates and build numbers for April and October waves, please see the General availability deployment learn article.

Your Microsoft Intune account has been updated to the latest service build.

[How this will affect your organization:]

You will see the service release number updated in the Tenant Status blade of the Intune admin center soon. We have introduced some changes that we are excited for you to try out.

[What you need to do to prepare:]

Review the additional information below to learn more about what’s new in this service release. We will continue to update the What’s new page with any features that are released between now and the next monthly service update. Learn more by reviewing features highlighted in the latest Intune What’s new 2603 (March) blog and how the Intune service updates each month is described in the Microsoft Intune service updates blog.

[Additional Information:]

Intune What’s new

Staying up to date on Intune new features, service changes, and service health

[Introduction]

We’re introducing new capabilities in the Microsoft 365 Copilot mobile app (iOS and Android) that allow users with a Microsoft 365 Copilot (Premium) license to create new Pages and edit existing Pages using Copilot. These capabilities, already available in the Microsoft 365 Copilot web and desktop apps, help users move from conversation to structured content more quickly while working on mobile devices.

This update supports productivity on the go by enabling users to generate, refine, and update content directly from Copilot chat within the mobile app.

[When this will happen:]

General Availability (Worldwide): Rollout will begin in late April 2026 and is expected to complete by late May 2026.

[How this affects your organization:]

Who is affected:

• Users with a Microsoft 365 Copilot (Premium) license
• Users accessing the Microsoft 365 Copilot mobile app on iOS or Android

What will happen:

• Auto-create Pages from chat: Users can instruct Copilot to generate a new Page based on chat context using prompts such as “Create a new page for Project XYZ.”



• Edit Pages with Copilot: Users can prompt Copilot Chat alongside an existing Page to update, refine, or improve content. Changes are applied directly to the Page, and users can choose to keep or revert the updates.



• The feature is enabled by default for eligible users in supported mobile apps.
• Existing Microsoft 365 permissions, sensitivity labels, and compliance policies continue to be enforced.

[What you can do to prepare:]

No action is required to enable this feature.

Admins may consider the following preparation steps:

• Inform users about Copilot-powered Page creation and editing on mobile devices.
• Review and reinforce internal guidance related to responsible AI-assisted content creation.
• Update internal helpdesk or end-user documentation, if applicable.

Learn more: Get started with Microsoft 365 Copilot Pages | Microsoft Support

[Compliance considerations:]

To improve the reliability, security, and maintainability of Microsoft Teams, Microsoft will retire a legacy external Teams meeting controls integration capability in the Teams desktop client (Windows and Mac). This capability previously enabled select external hardware devices and applications to control Teams meeting or calling functionality from outside of the Teams client through a limited, non‑published integration method. This integration method is no longer supported or maintained. Retiring this functionality allows Microsoft Teams to continue investing in secure and supported integration models. 

[When this will happen]

Retirement date: June 30, 2026

On this date,

• The legacy external meeting controls integration capability will be permanently removed.
• The related user setting in the Teams desktop client will no longer be available.

[How this affects your organization] 

Who is affected

This change may affect organizations where users enabled external hardware devices or applications to control Teams meetings (or Teams calls in some cases) functionality from outside of the Teams desktop client. Examples of affected scenarios may include external software or hardware used to:

• Mute or unmute the microphone
• Turn the camera on or off
• Apply or remove background blur
• Raise or lower hand
• Send meeting reactions
• End meeting

[What will happen]

Beginning June 30, 2026:

• External applications or devices will no longer be able to control Teams meeting or calling functionality using this legacy integration capability.
• If basic media controls (for example, mute/unmute or camera on/off) were previously triggered during Teams calls by an external device or application, those controls may also no longer function when initiated externally.
• The Teams desktop client setting located at: Settings > Privacy that previously allowed external applications or devices to control meeting features will be removed.
• Previously configured third‑party meeting or calling control integrations that relied on this capability may stop functioning.

[What you can do to prepare]

No configuration change is required by admins within Microsoft 365 for this retirement. However, we recommend that you:

• Review whether any external meeting or calling control tools are used with Teams desktop.
• Notify impacted users and internal helpdesk teams.
• Update internal documentation referencing the external control privacy setting.
• Contact third‑party vendors to confirm supported Microsoft Teams integration methods are being used.

Original support documentation: Connect to third-party devices in Microsoft Teams | Microsoft Support 

No compliance considerations identified. Review as appropriate for your organization.

[Introduction]

To help organizations strengthen endpoint security and reduce exposure to common attack techniques, we’re introducing a new Microsoft Secure Score recommendation in Microsoft Defender for Endpoint (MDE). This recommendation focuses on blocking outbound traffic from mshta.exe, a legitimate Windows binary that is frequently abused by attackers to execute malicious scripts. Implementing this recommendation helps reduce risk from living-off-the-land binary (LOLBIN) attacks and improves your overall security posture.

[When this will happen]

• Public Preview: Rollout begins late March 2026 and is expected to complete by early April 2026.
• General Availability (Worldwide): Rollout begins late March 2026 and is expected to complete by late May 2026.

[How this affects your organization]

Who is affected

Admins managing Microsoft Defender for Endpoint and Microsoft Secure Score.

What will happen

• A new Secure Score recommendation titled “Block outbound traffic from mshta.exe” will appear in Microsoft Secure Score for tenants enrolled in Public Preview: 

  

• Secure Score points will reflect whether this recommendation is implemented.
• The recommendation is not enabled by default and requires admin action to implement.
• There is no direct user experience change unless your organization enforces the configuration.

Why this matters

• mshta.exe is commonly abused by attackers to download and execute malicious payloads from remote sources.
• Blocking outbound traffic from this binary reduces attack surface and aligns with modern endpoint hardening best practices.

[What you can do to prepare]

• Review the new recommendation in Microsoft Secure Score once available.
• Evaluate potential line of business or scripting dependencies before enforcement.
• Implement the recommended configuration to improve your organization’s security posture.
• Communicate these changes to your security and endpoint management teams.

Learn more: Microsoft Secure Score | Microsoft Defender XDR | Microsoft Defender | Microsoft Learn

[Compliance considerations]

Introduction

Microsoft Purview Data Loss Prevention (DLP) now supports document creation and modification conditions for SharePoint and OneDrive. These new conditions enable admins to define DLP and Information Protection auto-labeling policies based on when a file was created or last modified, allowing more precise data protection. Organizations can now better target newly created, recently updated, or older content that requires stricter governance. 

This message is associated with Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 557590.

When this will happen:

• General Availability (Worldwide): We will begin rolling out early April 2026 and expect to complete by mid-April 2026.

How this affects your organization:

Who is affected:

• Tenants using Microsoft Purview DLP or Information Protection auto-labeling for SharePoint and OneDrive
• Admins managing DLP or auto-labeling policies

What will happen:

• Admins can configure DLP rules using:
  • File created date
  • File last modified date

• The same conditions are available in auto-labeling policies
• Existing policies are not changed automatically
• No user impact unless admins configure these conditions
• The feature is available for admin configuration (not enabled by default)

What you can do to prepare:

No action required if you do not plan to use this capability

If you want to take advantage of this capability:

• Review existing DLP policies for SharePoint and OneDrive to determine if lifecycle-based targeting would improve accuracy
• Update or create DLP rules and select file creation or last modified conditions
• Review Information Protection auto-labeling policies to apply the same conditions consistently
• Update internal governance or compliance documentation if you reference DLP rule criteria

Learn more: Learn about data loss prevention | Microsoft Learn

Compliance considerations

[Introduction]

Intelligent summaries in Copilot Dashboard help you quickly understand what’s driving Copilot adoption in your organization. These AI‑generated insights highlight key usage trends, areas of success, and opportunities where focused attention can accelerate value. Suggested prompts guide deeper exploration of underlying drivers and adoption patterns.

This message is associated with Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 557681.

[When this will happen]

• General Availability (Worldwide): Rollout will begin in late April 2026 and is expected to complete by late May 2026.

[How this will affect your organization]

Who is affected

• Admins using the Microsoft 365 Copilot Dashboard in Microsoft Viva and Microsoft 365

What will happen

• Intelligent summaries will appear automatically in the Copilot Dashboard:

   

• Admins will see AI‑generated insights that highlight adoption trends and key usage patterns.
• Suggested prompts will be available to help admins drill into specific drivers and areas of opportunity.
• No configuration changes are required; the feature is on by default for eligible tenants.
• Existing admin controls and permissions remain unchanged.
• There is no user workflow impact.
• Rollback is available: Admins can disable intelligent summaries if needed. Disabling the feature removes the summaries from the Copilot Dashboard and restores the previous experience.

[What you can do to prepare]

No action is required before rollout.

If helpful for your organization, you may:

• Notify helpdesk or training teams about the new summaries.
• Update internal documentation that references the Copilot Dashboard.
• Review updated online documentation, which will be refreshed as rollout begins in late April.
• If you choose not to use this feature, you can roll back by disabling intelligent summaries using available admin controls.

[Compliance considerations]

No compliance considerations identified. Review as appropriate for your organization.