Microsoft Roadmap, messagecenter and blogs updates from 03-10-2025

Updated October 2, 2025: We have updated the timeline. Thank you for your patience. 

 We’re making some changes to DNS provisioning of A records for all new Accepted Domains provisioned after February 1st, 2025 (previously October 1st). Between early and late February 2026 (previously early October and late October), we will gradually switch provisioning of all A records for new Accepted Domains into the new subdomains under mx.microsoft.

We are doing this to reduce the friction of adopting DNSSEC in the long run. DNSSEC is a set of extensions to DNS that provides cryptographic verification of DNS records, preventing DNS spoofing and adversary-in-the-middle attacks to DNS.

[How this will affect your organization:]

After February 1st, 2025 (previously October 1st), all A records for new Accepted Domains will be provisioned into the new subdomains under mx.microsoft.February 1st, 2025 (previously October 1st) is not secured with DNSSEC at the domain level (ex. contoso.com), then DNS resolution will work as usual. If an Accepted Domain you add to the EAC after February 1st, 2025 (previously October 1st) is secured with DNSSEC, then DNSSEC will extend to the mx.microsoft DNS record automatically and you will get the benefits of DNSSEC without having to take any further action. Any issues with DNSSEC can be addressed by disabling DNSSEC for the Accepted Domain (ex. contoso.com) via your DNS provider.

[What you need to do to prepare:]

If you have any automation in place, for example in workflows for Domain Setup, for MX record creation that expects A records for newly provisioned Accepted Domains to be provisioned in mail.protection.outlook.com, this automation needs to be updated by February 1st, 2025 (previously October 1st) to use List serviceConfigurationRecords Graph API (List serviceConfigurationRecords). Use List serviceConfigurationRecords to retrieve the mailExchange value for your MX record. After February 1st, 2025 (previously October 1st), List serviceConfigurationRecords Graph API will be the only source of truth for your Accepted Domains’ MX record value. You will not be able to rely on the Accepted Domain’s A record being provisioned in mail.protection.outlook.com after February 1st, 2025 (previously October 1st).

If you are using automation that expects the record to end with mail.protection.outlook.com, when you add a new Accepted Domain to the Exchange Admin Center after February 1st, 2025 (previously October 1st), mail flow may not work upon initial configuration and you will have to update your MX record to match what the Exchange Admin Center says for the domain or use the mailExchange value returned by List serviceConfigurationRecords Graph API.

If you expect this change to cause any issues for your organization, please share that feedback.

Updated October 2, 2025: We have updated the timeline. Thank you for your patience. 

You can now switch between accounts on the Copilot chat tab on iOS and Android. Simply swipe left to open the left-navigation and select from the list of supported accounts.

This message is associated with Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 490213

[When this will happen:]

1. General Availability (Worldwide, GCC): We will begin rolling out in early September 2025 (previously early July) and expect to complete by late October 2025 (previously late July).

[How this will affect your organization:]

Currently, users are only able to access the Copilot Chat tab with their default account or privacy, even if they have other accounts that support Copilot. With account-switching on iOS and Android, users will be able to access Copilot Chat from other accounts that support Copilot, enabling them to access their chat history and graph data associated with those accounts.

iOS:

Android:

[What you need to do to prepare:]

This rollout will happen automatically with no admin action required. You may want to notify your users about this change and update any relevant documentation as appropriate.

Updated October 2, 2025: We have updated the timeline. Thank you for your patience. 

Introduction

We’re introducing cross-cloud synchronization in Microsoft Entra to help organizations streamline user lifecycle management across Microsoft’s commercial, US Government, and China cloud environments. This feature automates creating, updating, and deleting users across supported cloud pairs and is currently in public preview. It is off by default and must be explicitly enabled by administrators.

When this will happen

General availability (Worldwide, GCC, GCCH, DoD): The capability is currently in public preview and will be rolled out to general availability between late September 2025 (previously early September) and early October 2025 (previously mid-October).

How this will affect your organization

There is no impact to your tenant unless you choose to enable this feature. Cross-cloud synchronization is opt-in and can be configured based on your organization’s needs. It provides a more efficient way to manage users across multiple Microsoft cloud environments.

Supported cloud pairs:

• Commercial (Commercial, GCC) → US Government (GCCH, DoD)
• US Government (GCCH, DoD) → Commercial (Commercial, GCC)
• Commercial → China

This feature is not visible to users. Administrators attempting to configure it in the Entra portal will receive a licensing warning if prerequisites are not met.

What you need to do to prepare

Organizations planning to use cross-cloud synchronization should be aware of the following:

• A Microsoft Entra ID Governance / Microsoft Entra Suite license is required for each user in the source tenant that is being synchronized across clouds. This license is an add-on to Entra ID P1 or P2.
• The feature must be enabled by an administrator in the Microsoft Entra admin center.
• Access to the feature can be managed through Entra ID group membership.
• New blades are introduced in the Entra portal to support configuration and management.
• The feature is accessible via PowerShell and the Microsoft Graph API.
• Provisioning logs and Audit logs in Microsoft Entra provide visibility into provisioning activity.
• The feature supports synchronization between two Microsoft Entra tenants.
• Setup guidance and prerequisites are available at: Configure cross-tenant synchronization – Microsoft Entra ID | Microsoft Learn
• Ensure your environment meets the requirements for the cloud pairs you plan to synchronize.
• Known limitations and troubleshooting guidance: Known issues for provisioning in Microsoft Entra ID | Microsoft Learn

Compliance considerations

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

Updated October 2, 2025: We have updated the timeline. Thank you for your patience. 

 Introduction

We’re introducing a new behavior in Outlook Mobile that improves draft handling. When users close a draft message in progress, it will now automatically minimize instead of closing completely. This allows users to quickly resume editing via a new button in the message list, enhancing productivity and reducing accidental draft loss.

When this will happen

General Availability (Worldwide, GCC, GCC High, DoD): Rollout will begin in late September 2025 (previously early September) and is expected to complete by late October 2025 (previously early March 2026).

How this affects your organization

Once this change is deployed, users will notice that closing a draft message no longer discards it or hides it from view. Instead, the draft will minimize and remain accessible via a button in the message list. This feature is on by default and does not require user or admin configuration.

This change is designed to reduce interruptions and improve the user experience by making draft recovery more intuitive.

What you can do to prepare

No admin action is required.

We recommend the following:

• Inform your users about this change to reduce confusion.
• Update internal documentation or training materials where applicable.

Compliance considerations

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

Updated October 2, 2025: We have updated the timeline. Thank you for your patience.

Introduction

We’re introducing a Unified Exclusion list in Copilot Analytics (Microsoft Viva Insights), a new feature that provides a single, consistent way to exclude specific users from all Viva Insights. With this update, administrators will have one consolidated exclusion list that applies across the Microsoft Copilot Dashboard (in Viva Insights), Manager and Team insights, Advanced Insights, and the upcoming Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat analytics (available in Copilot Dashboard). Admins can manage exclusions easily through one list, simplifying configuration and safeguarding sensitive user data without impacting other organizational HR data. This ensures consistent privacy controls and data reporting for both licensed and “free” (unlicensed) Copilot users in your organization.

Admins can use CSV upload and Azure Active Directory (Entra ID groups) to manage exclusions in the tenant.

This message is associated with Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 500161.

When this will happen

General Availability (Worldwide): We will begin rolling out this feature update globally, starting early October 2025 (previously late-September) and expect rollout to be completed by late October 2025 (previously early October).

How this affects your organization

All of Viva Insights experiences will now honor the excluded users (available in the Unified Exclusion list), eliminating the inconsistencies between different surfaces. For example, if an employee is on the Unified Exclusion list, that user’s data will be omitted from all Copilot Dashboards, manager insights, and analyst queries uniformly. This replaces the legacy approach where the Microsoft Copilot Dashboard had its own exclusion list and Advanced Insights relied on license or service plan removal. 

The AI administrators, Viva Insights Administrators and Global Administrators will have access to configure this updated setting.

Note: Any users whom you previously excluded (via the old Microsoft Copilot Dashboard exclusion list) will automatically remain excluded under the new mechanism. Those users will continue to be fully excluded from all Viva Insights data, including the new M365 Copilot Chat usage analytics, without any additional action on your part. This ensures continuity of privacy controls for existing tenants. 

Advanced insights will additionally, continue to exclude users for whom Viva insights service plan is not available. 

What you can do to prepare

No immediate action is required to enable this feature. Once the updated Unified Exclusion list becomes available in your tenant, we recommend administrators:

• Navigate to the Microsoft 365 admin center: Setup > Microsoft Viva > Viva Insights > Manage user exclusion lists
• Verify that any users you intend to exclude (from Microsoft Copilot Dashboard (in Viva Insights), Manager and Team insights, Advanced Insights, and the upcoming Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat analytics) are listed. By default, the system will carry over users from your previous Microsoft Copilot Dashboard exclusion configuration that is already available.
• Review and update the exclusion list using CSV upload or Entra ID group membership.
• Notify relevant stakeholders about the new unified exclusion mechanism.

Note: The currently implemented exclusion list under Setup > Microsoft Viva > Viva Insights is accessible to only AI administrators and Global Administrators.

Learn more about Copilot Dashboard licensing requirements: Connect to the Microsoft Copilot Dashboard for Microsoft 365 customers | Viva Insights | Microsoft Viva | Microsoft Learn

Before the release we will update the documentation about the Unified Exclusion list: https://learn.microsoft.com/viva/insights/advanced/admin/manage-settings-copilot-dashboard

Compliance considerations

Updated October 2, 2025: We have updated the content. Thank you for your patience. 

Introduction

We’re introducing Teams Collaborative Notes (powered by Loop) in group chats across desktop and web experiences. This feature enables users to co-create and edit notes, agendas, and action items directly within the Teams chat interface, enhancing real-time collaboration without switching contexts.

This message is associated with Roadmap ID 498159.

When this will happen

• Public Preview: Rollout begins late September 2025 and completes by early October 2025.  
• General Availability: Rollout begins early October 2025 (previously late September) and completes by late October 2025 (previously early October).

How this affects your organization

Users will see a new Notes tab in group chats, allowing them to create and collaborate on Loop components such as agendas and action items. These components are editable inline, supporting synchronous collaboration directly within Teams.  

This feature is on by default for all tenants. Users do not need to install anything to begin using it.

What you can do to prepare

• You can manage this feature via the Teams Admin Center. If desired, Collaborative Notes can be disabled at the tenant level.
• Review internal documentation and training materials to ensure users are aware of the new Notes tab and its capabilities.
• Admins can manage the feature via the Teams Admin Center under: Messaging → Messaging Settings → Messaging Notes
  • Alternatively, it can be configured using the PowerShell cmdlet: Set-CsTeamsMessagingConfiguration

Compliance considerations

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

Updated October 2, 2025: We have updated the content. Thank you for your patience.

[Introduction]

We’re introducing a new way to quickly summarize emails and attachments using Copilot chat in Outlook. With a single click, users can generate concise summaries of email content and attachments, helping them stay focused and save time. This feature supports both Classic and New Outlook for Windows and is available to users with a Microsoft 365 Copilot license and pinning enabled.

This message is associated with Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 503316.

[When this will happen:]

• Targeted Release (Worldwide): Rollout underway by early October 2025; expected completion by early November 2025.
• General Availability (Worldwide): Begins mid-October 2025; expected completion by late November 2025.

[How this affects your organization:]

Who is affected: Users with a Microsoft 365 Copilot license and pinning enabled in Outlook across Android, Desktop, iOS, Mac, Web, and Windows (Classic and New).

What will happen:

Users will see a new option to summarize email content using Copilot chat:

• The feature will be available across Android, Desktop, iOS, Mac, Web, and both Classic and New Outlook for Windows.
• No admin configuration is required; the feature is enabled by default for eligible users.
• Existing policies are respected; no changes to admin controls are needed.

[What you can do to prepare:]

• No action is required.
• You may choose to inform users about the new summarization capability.
• If desired, update internal documentation to reflect the availability of this feature.

[Compliance considerations:]

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

• Enables confidential customer conversations while preserving access to consulting expertise.
• Eliminates the need to terminate and restart consult sessions for private discussions.
• Maintains seamless workflow continuity for representatives handling escalated cases.

Outlook on the web activity-based timeout is retiring

To simplify session timeout management and improve consistency across Microsoft 365 apps, we’re retiring the activity-based authentication timeout (ABT) setting for Outlook on the web. Admins should transition to the Microsoft 365 idle session timeout, which provides a unified experience across supported Microsoft 365 web applications.

When this will happen:

• Worldwide: Early January 2026 to late January 2026
• GCC, GCCHigh, and DoD: Early February 2026 to late February 2026

How this affects your organization:

• Who is affected: Users of Outlook on the web are affected by this change, as they will no longer be automatically signed out due to inactivity unless Microsoft 365 idle session timeout is enabled. Admins are responsible for configuring the replacement timeout setting.
• What will happen:
  • The ABT setting for Outlook on the web will be retired.
  • If Microsoft 365 idle session timeout is not enabled, users will no longer be automatically signed out of Outlook on the web due to inactivity.
  • Microsoft 365 idle session timeout applies across supported Microsoft 365 web apps.

What you can do to prepare:

• Review your current use of activity-based authentication timeout (ABT) for Outlook on the web.
• Enable Microsoft 365 idle session timeout to maintain session control across Microsoft 365 apps.
• Communicate this change to your helpdesk and security teams.
• Update internal documentation to reflect the new session timeout policy.
• Review the previous retirement announcement: Activity-based authentication timeout for Outlook on the web.

Compliance considerations:

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

We’re excited to share recent enhancements to the Deep Analysis tab on the Email Entity page in Microsoft Defender for Office 365. These updates are designed to provide deeper insights and a more intuitive experience when investigating threats.

When this will happen:

Public Preview: We will begin rolling out early Oct 2025 and expect to complete by late Oct 2025.

General Availability (Worldwide): We will begin rolling out early Nov 2025 and expect to complete by mid-Nov 2025.

How this will affect your organization:

There will not be any impact on the security investigation and hunting workflow. Post rollout, security teams will have deeper insights from the detonation outcomes to help them make more informed decisions. The enhancements will provide:

• A refreshed and streamlined user interface
• Improved detonation chain with nested entity details for better threat visibility
• Expanded URL and file metadata for better context
• More detailed and exportable behavior insights

These improvements are designed to empower your security teams with richer, more actionable data to accelerate investigations and response.

URL detonation details:

Screenshot URL 1:

Screenshot URL 2:

Screenshot URL 3:

File detonation details:

Screenshot File 1:

Screenshot File 2:

Screenshot File 3:

What you need to do to prepare:

No action items needed from users or admin.

Compliance considerations:

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

• Flexible search options: Filter conversations by using either structured fields or natural language queries.
Result review and validation: Review the list of filtered conversations before proceeding with any action to ensure accuracy and relevance.

• Assign to Queue: Assign conversations to the appropriate queue based on agent skills or availability.
• Customer Messaging (C2): Send wrap-up messages to customers to provide resolution and closure outside the conversation channel.
• Agent Notifications: Notify agents with real-time updates or guidance related to specific conversations.
• Bulk Close: Close multiple conversations at once.

[Introduction]

To maintain app performance, security, and compatibility across devices, Outlook for Android will no longer support Android 9.x or earlier versions starting January 2026. This change aligns with Microsoft’s regular operating system (OS) support evaluations and reflects architectural differences in older Android versions.

[When this will happen:]

This change will take effect on January 5, 2026.

[How this affects your organization:]

Who is affected:

• Users in your organization who access Outlook for Android on devices running Android 9.x or below.

What will happen:

• Users on Android 9.x or earlier will no longer be able to install updates for Outlook for Android.
• Existing installations may continue to work temporarily but will not receive new features, bug fixes, or security updates.
• Outlook for Android will require Android 10.0 or higher to install or update the app.

[What you can do to prepare:]

• Review mobile device usage across your organization to identify users on Android 9.x or below.
• Communicate this change to affected users to ensure they upgrade their device OS before January 2026.
• Update internal documentation and helpdesk guidance to reflect the new minimum OS requirement.

[Compliance considerations:]

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

[Introduction]

We’re introducing enhanced Microsoft 365 Copilot connectors for people data to help organizations enrich Microsoft 365 people profiles with authoritative information from external systems. This update improves Copilot’s ability to deliver contextually relevant and personalized responses across Microsoft 365 experiences such as profile cards and people search.

Administrators can configure connectors to supported systems like BambooHR directly from the Copilot > Connectors > Gallery, under the Human resources & recruiting category. Additionally, customers and partners can build custom connectors via Microsoft Graph to ingest people-related data from other sources. These capabilities allow Copilot to ground its responses in richer, more accurate people data.

This message is associated with Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 480736.

• Public Preview (Worldwide): Began mid-May 2025 and completes by mid-November 2025.
• General Availability (Worldwide): Begins mid-November 2025 and completes by mid-December 2025.

Who is affected: Microsoft 365 administrators, developers building custom connectors, organizations using Microsoft 365 Copilot, people search, or profile cards.

What will happen:

• Administrators can configure connectors via Microsoft Admin Center under Copilot > Connectors > Gallery.
• BambooHR is available as a prebuilt connector.
• Developers can build custom connectors using Microsoft Graph.
• Enriched people profiles will be accessible in Microsoft 365 experiences and Copilot.
• Improved grounding for Copilot responses using external authoritative data.
• The feature is available for administrators to configure for all tenants once rolled out.

• Review the Microsoft Learn documentation for guidance on configuring or developing connectors.
• Monitor for updates between Public Preview and General Availability.
• Evaluate your organization’s data sources for people-related information.
• Communicate this change to IT and helpdesk teams.
• Update internal documentation if needed.
• Learn more about Copilot connectors compliance, privacy, and data usage.

[Introduction]

To reduce confusion and last-minute device switching, Microsoft is introducing improved audio device selection on the Microsoft Teams join screen. Users can now confirm and change their microphone, speaker, or headset directly from the join screen—without navigating to separate settings menus. This update streamlines the join experience and helps users feel confident their audio setup is correct before entering a meeting. 

This message applies to Teams for Windows desktop, Teams for Mac desktop and Teams for the web.

[When this will happen:]

General Availability (Worldwide): Available now

[How this affects your organization:]

• Who is affected: All Microsoft Teams users joining meetings via desktop clients.
• What will happen:
  • Users will find their selected audio devices directly on the meeting join screen.
  • Users can change their microphone, speaker, or headset without leaving the join screen.
  • No admin configuration is required.
  • The feature is ON by default.

[What you can do to prepare:]

• No action is required to enable this feature.
• You may consider:
  • Communicating this change to helpdesk staff.
  • Updating internal documentation or training materials if they reference meeting join procedures.
  • Reviewing the Public Preview if you want to explore the feature early.

[Compliance considerations]

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

We’re introducing new Microsoft Secure Score recommendations for Microsoft Defender for Endpoint (MDE) to help organizations strengthen their security posture. These recommendations are designed to proactively block common attack techniques and improve endpoint protection.

When this will happen:

Rollout will begin in mid-October 2025 and is expected to complete by the end of the month.

How this affects your organization:

Who is affected

Admins managing Microsoft Defender for Endpoint and Microsoft Secure Score.

What’s changing

Customers in Public Preview will see the following new recommendations in Microsoft Secure Score:

• Block web shell creation on servers
• Block use of copied or impersonated system tools:



• Block rebooting a machine in Safe Mode:

 

Secure Score will be updated based on the implementation of these recommendations.

What you can do to prepare:

• Review the new recommendations in Microsoft Secure Score once available.
• Complete the recommended actions to improve your organization’s security posture.
• Communicate these changes to your security and endpoint management teams.
• Learn more about Microsoft Secure Score: Microsoft Secure Score | Microsoft Defender XDR | Microsoft Defender | Microsoft Learn

Compliance considerations:

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

[Introduction]

Due to recent feedback regarding the licensing of Interpreter, we’re updating the licensing terms. We understand that our earlier announcement created frustration and uncertainty, and we sincerely apologize for the disruption this caused. Predictability and transparency are critical, and we are committed to communicating changes more clearly going forward.

This message is associated with Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 490740.

[When this will happen:]

These changes are effective immediately.

[How this will affect your organization:]

Who is affected:

• Organizations with users licensed for Microsoft 365 Copilot.
• Admins managing Microsoft Teams and Interpreter usage.

What has happened:

We have carefully reviewed customer feedback and are making the following changes to better support our customer’s needs:

1. We’re increasing the amount of included interpretation hours from 2 hours to 20 hours per user per month with a Microsoft 365 Copilot license. Access beyond the included hours is subject to available capacity.
2. To help teams adopt Interpreter seamlessly, we will provide IT admins with usage monitoring tools to help your teams plan and manage usage effectively. Usage monitoring tools will be available after March 31, 2026.
3. You will not be charged based on usage at this point in time. In the future, we may implement an option to purchase additional hours at which point we’ll provide clear and advanced notice. If we offer an option to purchase additional hours in the future, past usage will not be billed retroactively.

We remain deeply invested in advancing AI technology that removes language barriers and streamlines global collaboration. Your feedback is essential in shaping how we deliver these capabilities, and we appreciate your partnership as we continue to refine the experience.

To learn more about Interpreter below are some useful resources:

• Read Interpreter in Microsoft Teams meetings – Microsoft Support
• Read Manage Interpreter agent for your organization – Microsoft Teams | Microsoft Learn

Thank you for your trust and for being part of this journey with us.

[What you need to do to prepare:]

This change will happen automatically with no admin action required. You may want to notify your users with Microsoft 365 Copilot licenses about this change and update any relevant documentation as appropriate.

[Compliance considerations:]

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

To enhance transparency and user control, Microsoft Teams is expanding the Explicit Recording Consent feature to include 1:1 calls made via the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) or Teams Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP). This update ensures that participants must provide explicit consent before their media (audio, video, and content sharing) is included in any recording or transcription initiated by another user. This change supports privacy compliance and aligns with customer feedback requesting more granular consent controls.

This message is associated with Roadmap ID 503295.

• Targeted Release: Begins early November 2025, completes early November 2025.
• General Availability (Worldwide, GCC): Begins mid-November 2025, completes mid-November 2025.
• General Availability (GCC High): Begins late November 2025, completes early December 2025.
• General Availability (DoD): Begins early December 2025, completes early December 2025.

Who is affected:

• Microsoft Teams administrators managing calling policies.
• Users participating in 1:1 PSTN or Teams VoIP calls where recording or transcription is initiated.

What will happen:

• This feature applies to Microsoft Teams desktop apps on Windows and macOS.
• By default, Explicit Recording Consent is OFF and must be enabled by administrators.
• When enabled:
  • Users initiating recording or transcription in 1:1 calls will trigger a consent prompt for the other participant.
  • Until consent is granted, the participant’s audio, video, and screen/content sharing will be disabled, and as a result, excluded from the recording.
• Administrators can apply this policy tenant-wide or to specific users.

• Update training materials to reflect that Explicit Recording Consent now applies to 1:1 calls (PSTN and Teams VoIP).
• Inform users that consent is required before recording or transcription can begin in 1:1 calls.
• Administrators can manage this feature via PowerShell or the Microsoft Teams admin center.

PowerShell commands:

Set-CsTeamsCallingPolicy -Identity Global -ExplicitRecordingConsent "Enabled"
Set-CsTeamsCallingPolicy -Identity Global -ExplicitRecordingConsent "Disabled"

Learn more: Set-CsTeamsCallingPolicy documentation

[Compliance considerations:]

• Competitor History: Gain access to insights from relevant past opportunities where you have competed against a specific competitor.
• Competitor Landscape: Identify the top direct competitors for a given sales scenario based on similar products offered or similar account profiles targeted and get an overview and SWOT analysis for each competitor.
• Tailored Talking Points: Receive actionable recommendations to adjust your approach for addressing specific competitors.
• Competitor Mentions: Stay informed whenever a competitor is mentioned in sales emails, ensuring you are always aware of emerging competitor risks.

[Introduction:]

We’re introducing refreshed Microsoft 365 app icons for Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and the rest of Microsoft 365 productivity tools. The newly designed Microsoft 365 icons reflect a strategic shift in Microsoft 365—unified, intuitive, and designed for flow across every canvas. As Copilot connects Microsoft 365 apps into a single, intelligent experience, the icons embody that transformation with cleaner shapes, vibrant colors, and a connected design system nodding to Copilot’s influence. The icons are rolling out in the coming weeks across web, desktop, and mobile for both individuals and organizations.

There are no changes to app functionality or user settings.

[When this will happen:]

General Availability (Worldwide): Rollout begins in early October 2025 and will roll out in phases across web, desktop, and mobile platforms. Completion is expected by late October 2025.

[How this affects your organization:]

Who is affected: All users of Microsoft 365 apps across web, desktop, and mobile platforms.

What will happen:

• Users will begin to see updated Microsoft 365 app icons:

 

• This is a visual-only change; there is no impact to app functionality, user settings, or workflows.
• During the rollout, users may see old and new icons side-by-side across apps and devices.
• No changes to URLs, branding names, or service behavior.

[What you can do to prepare:]

No admin action is required.

However, we recommend the following:

• Review and update internal help content, training materials, and screenshots that reference existing app icons.
• Communicate this change to helpdesk staff to reduce potential confusion.

[Compliance considerations:]

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

• Navigating voice conversations naturally and escalate calls to a service representative as needed.
• Conversing with customers to accurately identify their issues, gather information needed from the customer, and offer suggestions and solutions.

• Automate case creation and case details during live chats and from incoming emails: When a customer service representative accepts a live chat, the Case Management Agent will automatically create a case and fill in the required information. As the conversation continues, representatives can use the agent to update case fields in real time. When the conversation ends, the agent automatically updates the case fields.
  
  When automatic record creation (ARC) rules convert an email into a case, the system automatically extracts the required information from the email. The case will stay up to date as the customer sends new emails.
• Uses AI for email classification to categorize incoming emails into predefined categories: With this classification, you can automate support workflows to help optimize support processes, improve productivity, and reduce operational costs. For example, you can skip case creation for “thank you” emails or marketing spam emails and create cases only for relevant inquiries.
• Intelligent collaboration prompts with one click: Automatically finds the right experts and creates a concise case summary to help collaborators get up to speed quickly. The case timeline captures collaboration insights, which streamlines future processes. In addition, the collaboration summaries integrate into the application, enhancing the knowledge base and minimizing the need for future collaborations.
• Tracks cases that need attention: It sends follow-up emails based on SLA criteria. When a customer responds, the agent resolves the case or alerts the service representative. These capabilities boost the efficiency of case creation and closure to reduce case handling time.

• Enhanced and optimized survey runtime experience for performance and usability.
• Integration with live chat workflows, making sure that the entire feedback experience remains within the same chat window, eliminating the need to redirect users.
• Configuration and enabling of the survey agents in Copilot Service admin center. You must publish the survey agents in Copilot Studio before adding them to workstreams.
• Customization of the surveys in Copilot Studio visual editor, where you define questions and branching logic.

As part of the Microsoft Secure Future Initiative (SFI) and in alignment with the “Secure by Default” principle, we are updating the Microsoft-managed default consent policy in Microsoft 365 Graph to align with Microsoft’s ongoing security improvements, help you to meet industry best practices, and harden your tenant’s security posture. These changes enable admins to better control third-party app access for Exchange and Teams content.

This is the next step in a broader effort to evaluate and evolve Microsoft 365 defaults through the lens of SFI. This update follows our recent SharePoint and OneDrive changes that blocked legacy protocols and required admin consent for third-party apps accessing files and sites. The Exchange and Teams updates are a continuation of this same approach. admin consent for third-party apps accessing files and sites. The Exchange and Teams updates are a continuation of this same approach.

[When this will happen:]

These changes will begin rolling out by end of October 2025 and are expected to be completed by late-November 2025.

[How this affects your organization:]

The following settings will be updated:

To preserve end-user experience, some Exchange email clients are exempted from this change. Administrators can review and modify as noted below.

These changes will be reflected as an update to the Microsoft-managed default consent policy. With this change, any organization using the Microsoft-managed user consent policy will require admin consent for Mail, Teams Chat and Meetings functionality across various protocols. Learn more about Graph permissions.

• Organizations using other user consent policies will not be affected.
• These changes will not require additional licensing.

[What you can do to prepare:]

We recommend the following actions:

• Assess current configurations: Review existing third-party applications that access Exchange mail, calendar, contacts, and Teams chat/meetings data.
  • If you already intend to allow user consent for certain third-party apps, we recommend that you create granular app access policies in advance, so those apps remain usable without interruption (Manage app consent policies, Configure how users consent to applications)
  • If you are already using another consent policy that covers applications that will be impacted by this change and are satisfied with the policy, no changes are required from your end.
• Configure Admin Consent workflow: If your organization relies on third-party apps for Exchange or Teams, set up the workflow (Configuring admin consent workflow); it will enable users to send a request to your global or app admin(s) to approve use of an application for users. Otherwise, potential users will not have an option to request admin approval.
• Notify stakeholders: Inform IT admins, app owners, and security teams about the upcoming changes.
• Update documentation: Ensure internal processes and app onboarding guidance reflect the new defaults and the admin consent process.

Additional considerations:

Does the change alter how existing customer data is processed and stored?

• No, it doesn’t change how data is processed or stored.

Does the change alter how existing customer data is accessed?

• Yes, moving forward only admins may approve access for the set of permissions outlined above. Users cannot grant consent to third-party applications that access Exchange and Teams data via delegated permissions.

What is the impact on existing applications?

• Users who have already granted consent to an app can continue to use it without interruption. New users, or apps requesting new or broader permissions, will require admin approval before they can be used. This ensures that only applications explicitly validated by the admin(s) can gain new access moving forward.

• Research prospects deeply.
• Send hyper-personalized emails to leads.
• Send outreach emails to a list of prospects from CRM or a CSV file.
• Follow up with leads if it doesn’t receive a response.
• Respond to questions, handle objections, and ask qualification questions
• Hand-off leads to sales reps.