Microsoft Roadmap, messagecenter and blogs updates from 25-03-2026

Updated March 24, 2026: We have updated the timeline. Thank you for your patience. 

[Introduction]

We’re retiring the use of external access tokens for actionable messages and transitioning to Microsoft Entra-based authentication. This update enhances security and aligns with modern identity standards, providing a more robust and compliant experience for actionable messages.

[When this will happen]

This change takes effect on May 15, 2026. After this date, external access tokens will no longer be supported.

[How this affects your organization]

Who is affected:

Organizations using actionable messages that currently rely on external access tokens.

What will happen:

• Actionable messages that depend on external access tokens will fail after May 15, 2026.
• All integrations and workflows using actionable messages must adopt Microsoft Entra authentication.
• This change improves security posture by leveraging Entra’s identity and access management capabilities.

• Review all actionable message implementations in your organization.
• Update integrations to use Microsoft Entra authentication before May 15, 2026.

Learn more:

• Actionable messages in Outlook and Office 365 Groups
• Enable Entra token for Actionable messages

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

Updated March 24, 2026: We have updated the content. Thank you for your patience. 

Introduction

Connectivity changes between cmdlets and Microsoft 365 services like SharePoint and Exchange now require a new parameter for improved security and modern authentication. Starting Jan 31, 2026, Admins must use Exchange Online PowerShell v3.9.0 or later and include the -EnableSearchOnlySession parameter when running Connect-IPPSession to execute Data Lifecycle Management cmdlets.

When this will happen:

Enforcement begins January 31, 2026.

How this affects your organization:

• Who is affected: Admins using Data Lifecycle Management cmdlets in Security & Compliance PowerShell.
• What will happen:
  • You must use Exchange Online PowerShell v3.9.0 or later.
  • You must include the -EnableSearchOnlySession parameter when running Connect-IPPSession.
  • This applies to the following cmdlets:
    • New-RetentionCompliancePolicy
    • Set-RetentionCompliancePolicy
    • New-RetentionComplianceRule
    • Set-RetentionComplianceRule
    • New-ComplianceTag
    • Set-ComplianceTag
    • Remove-ComplianceTag
    • New-ComplianceRetentionEvent
    • Set- ComplianceRetentionEvent
    • Remove- ComplianceRetentionEvent
    • New-ComplianceRetentionEventType
    • Set-ComplianceRetentionEventType
    • Remove- ComplianceRetentionEventType
  • No impact for users accessing Data Lifecycle Management through the Purview portal.
  • Cmdlets remain incompatible with Certificate-Based Authentication (CBA).

What you can do to prepare:

• Update scripts and workflows to include the -EnableSearchOnlySession parameter.
• Ensure your organization is using Exchange Online PowerShell version 3.9.0 or later.
• For more information, visit: Learn about Data Lifecycle Management solutions in Microsoft Purview.

Compliance considerations:

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

Updated March 24, 2026: We have updated the content. Thank you for your patience. 

We’re launching a user experience (UX) update that displays existing Awards and Certifications properties from Microsoft 365 profile schema on users’ profile cards.

[When this will happen:]

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

[How this affects your organization:]

Who is affected:

All users whose organizations populate the Awards and Certifications properties in the M365 profile.

What will happen:

• A new Awards and Certifications section will be introduced on the profile card in the overview and contacts tab below the skills section.



• Each entry in this section will show the title and issuer by default. Selecting a badge reveals additional details such as the description and date awarded.
• The profile card will also feature highlights for recently earned awards or certificates (issued within the last 30 days) to improve discoverability.
• If these properties are not in use today, there will be no change — the new section will not appear on profile cards.

[What you can do to prepare:]

• Review your profile data: Check whether your organization is currently populating the Awards and Certifications properties in M365 user profiles. If so, inform users that these values will now be visible on their profile cards.
• Key points to note:
  • If your organization does not use Awards and Certifications fields in M365 profile schema today, no action is required.
  • The profile card experience is read-only—it displays data from the profile but does not provide any in-service editing or management of awards and certifications.
• Review the following support article: View awards and certification badges on your profile card

[Compliance considerations:]

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

Updated March 24, 2026: We have updated the content. Thank you for your patience. 

[Introduction]

Microsoft 365 Copilot Declarative Agents are being upgraded to the GPT‑5.2 model. This update improves quality and reliability for agent scenarios such as reasoning, multi‑step workflows, tool calling, structured output generation, and document analysis. 

[When this will happen]

General availability (Worldwide): Rollout will begin around mid-March 2026 and is expected to complete by late March 2026.

[How this affects your organization]

Who is affected

• Users and builders of Microsoft 365 Copilot Declarative Agents in all Microsoft 365 tenants

What will happen:

• Declarative Agents will begin using the GPT‑5.2 foundational model.
• Users may notice improved quality, accuracy, and formatting in responses.
• Some agent behaviors may vary slightly due to model differences.
• The update will roll out gradually; not all users will receive the new model at the same time.
• No admin controls are changing, and existing settings continue to apply.

[What you can do to prepare]

No configuration changes are required. To support a smooth transition, consider the following steps:

• Inform agent builders that the model upgrade is rolling out.
• Validate your organization’s most important agent workflows (for example, top 5–10 prompts or use cases).
• Check that agents continue to meet expectations for accuracy, tone, and formatting.
• Monitor agent behavior and submit feedback through the thumbs up/down feature.
  • Include #GPT52 when reporting issues or successes.

[Compliance considerations]

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

[Introduction]

We are introducing a new OWAMailboxPolicy setting that allows administrators to control whether file attachments are available when users work offline in the new Outlook for Windows. This change adds a tenant-level configuration option for managing offline attachment access while preserving existing offline policy behavior by default.

[When this will happen:]

The new policy will rollout mid-April 2026

[How this affects your organization:]

Who is affected:

• Exchange Online administrators
• Users of the new Outlook for Windows who use Offline mode

What will happen:

• A new OWAMailboxPolicy setting named AttachmentsOfflineEnabledWin becomes available.
• The policy is enabled by default ($true).
• Administrators can allow or block access to file attachments while working offline in the new Outlook for Windows.
• This change does not affect the existing configuration of OfflineEnabledWin.
• If OfflineEnabledWin is set to $false, offline file attachments remain disabled even if AttachmentsOfflineEnabledWin is set to $true.

[What you can do to prepare:]

• No action is required if the default behavior meets your organization’s requirements.
• Review your existing OfflineEnabledWin policy configuration.
• Configure AttachmentsOfflineEnabledWin at the tenant level if you want to control offline attachment access.
• Communicate any changes to helpdesk or security teams.

Learn more and configure the policy using Exchange PowerShell: Set-OwaMailboxPolicy documentation.

[Compliance considerations:]

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

[Introduction]

Microsoft is announcing the General Availability (GA) of federated Copilot connectors for Microsoft 365 Copilot.

Federated Copilot connectors enable users to securely connect Copilot to popular third‑party sources and retrieve data in real time using the Model Context Protocol (MCP). These connectors do not store or index customer data in Microsoft services; access occurs in real time using the user’s identity, while administrators retain full governance and control through the Microsoft 365 admin center.

With GA, federated Copilot connectors will be supported in Researcher agent, Microsoft 365 Chat, and Agent Mode in Excel, enabling users to bring external data directly into their workflows.

[When this will happen]

• General Availability (Worldwide): 
  • Admins will begin seeing federated Copilot connectors in Microsoft 365 admin center starting on April 20, 2026. Public documentation will be updated around the same time.
  • Rollout for users will begin in late April 2026 and complete by late May 2026.

[How this affects your organization]

Who is affected

• Organizations with Microsoft 365 Copilot Premium licenses

What will happen

• Microsoft‑published federated Copilot connectors (connector type: MCP) will appear under Microsoft 365 admin center → Copilot → Connectors and will be enabled by default.
• Admins will be able to:
  • View all Microsoft‑published federated Copilot connectors in one place.
  • Identify federated Copilot connectors by filtering on connector type: MCP.
  • Use staged rollout to enable specific connectors for selected users or groups.
  • Disable any connectors that do not align with organizational policies.
    • Admins can bulk‑disable all connectors using CLI, then selectively re‑enable individual connectors within the admin center.
• Users will be able to connect to federated Copilot connectors directly from:
  • Researcher agent
  • Microsoft 365 Chat
  • Agent Mode in Excel
• Public documentation will be updated as the rollout progresses.

Screenshot 1 – Manage federated Copilot connectors:

Screenshot 2 – Connect and use federated Copilot connectors:

Microsoft‑published federated Copilot connectors available at GA include:

• Canva
• HubSpot
• Linear
• Intercom
• Google Calendar
• Google Contacts
• Notion
• S&P Global
• Moody’s
• LSEG

Note: Microsoft may initially release a subset of the connectors listed above, with additional Microsoft‑published federated Copilot connectors becoming available over time with prior notice.

[What you can do to prepare]

• Review available Microsoft‑published federated Copilot connectors in Microsoft 365 admin center → Copilot → Connectors.
• Use the 7‑day, admin‑only review window before the connectors become available to users to validate compliance, risk posture, and readiness.
• Plan a staged rollout strategy using Entra ID group targeting if you want to enable connectors gradually.
• Disable any connectors that do not meet your organization’s security or compliance standards.
• Review your third‑party provider agreements, including data residency and licensing terms, before enabling federated Copilot connectors.
• Update internal documentation or helpdesk guidance as needed.

Note: By using Microsoft 365 Copilot connectors, you, as the data controller, authorize Microsoft to index third‑party data or otherwise send Customer Data and Personal Data to third‑party services, as well as retrieve third‑party data and import it into your Microsoft 365 tenant according to your configurations.

[Compliance considerations]

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

[Introduction]

We are introducing an enhancement to SharePoint Advanced Management that allows SharePoint admins to delegate control of the Restricted Content Discovery (RCD) setting to site admins. Restricted Content Discovery limits whether content from specific SharePoint sites can appear in organization-wide search results and in Microsoft 365 Copilot experiences. This update improves governance and accountability by enabling site admins to manage RCD for their sites while providing required justification for any changes.

[When this will happen]

• Public Preview: Available now.

Who is affected

• SharePoint admins and SharePoint site admins using SharePoint Advanced Management.

What will happen

• Delegation of Restricted Content Discovery is off by default.
• SharePoint admins may enable delegation at the tenant level.
• When enabled:
  • Site admins will see the RCD setting in the Site Information panel for their sites.
  • Site admins can enable or disable RCD for their site.
  • Site admins must provide justification when changing the RCD setting.
• This provides clearer governance and decentralizes management for discoverability controls across the organization.

[What you can do to prepare]

No action is required to receive this update.

If your organization uses Restricted Content Discovery, consider the following steps:

• Review whether delegating RCD management aligns with your SharePoint governance model.
• To enable delegation, run the following in SharePoint Online Management Shell as an Administrator:

Set-SPOTenant -DelegateRestrictedContentDiscoverabilityManagement $true

• To check the current delegation status: Get-SPOTenant | Select-Object DelegateRestrictedContentDiscoverabilityManagement
• Update internal documentation or admin guidance if roles and responsibilities for RCD management are defined in your organization.

Learn more: Restrict discovery of SharePoint sites and content | SharePoint in Microsoft 365 | SharePoint | Microsoft Learn

[Compliance considerations]

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

[Introduction]

We’re simplifying how organizations manage access to Data Security Investigations (DSI) in Microsoft Purview. Based on customer feedback and continued alignment with Data Security Posture Management (DSPM), Insider Risk Management (IRM), and Microsoft Defender XDR, the DSI Admin and DSI Contributor roles will automatically be included in additional role groups. This reduces manual assignments and helps teams that frequently work across these solutions have the right access by default.

This message is associated with Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 558546.

[When this will happen]

• General Availability (Worldwide): Rolling out in late April 2026 and expected to complete by late April 2026.

[How this affects your organization]

Who is affected

• Admins managing roles and permissions in the Microsoft Purview compliance portal

What will happen

• The Data Security Investigation Contributor role will automatically be added to these role groups:
  • Organization Management
  • Data Security Management
  • Insider Risk Management
• Members of these role groups will automatically receive the corresponding DSI access.
• No existing permissions or role assignments will be removed.
• No opt-in is required; this change applies by default.

[What you can do to prepare]

No action is required before rollout.

You may want to:

• Review which users in your organization are members of the affected role groups.
• Confirm that the resulting DSI access is appropriate for those users.
• Update internal access management documentation, if needed.

Learn more: 

• Learn about Data Security Investigations | Microsoft Purview | Microsoft Learn
• Permissions in the Microsoft Purview portal | Microsoft Purview | Microsoft Learn

[Compliance considerations]

This change will automatically grant DSI access to members of the affected role groups. Admins should review current role group membership and ensure DSI access aligns with their organization’s security and compliance requirements. 

[Introduction]

We’re introducing a new audit log querying experience in Data Security Investigations (DSI) in Microsoft Purview. This update allows administrators and investigators to build audit log queries directly within DSI by specifying criteria such as date range, users, activities, and keywords. DSI will then automatically surface files associated with those activities. This removes the previous manual process of exporting and reviewing large audit log datasets and makes investigations faster and more accurate.

This message is associated with Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 558548.

[When this will happen]

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

[How this affects your organization]

Who is affected

• Admins and investigators who use Data Security Investigations in the Microsoft Purview compliance portal.

What will happen

• A new Audit tab will appear in the DSI search experience alongside the existing Query Builder tab:

   

• Admins and investigators will be able to enter audit search criteria (date range, users, activities, keywords) directly within DSI.
• Users can view estimated audit query results or add them directly to the investigation scope.
• Associated files identified through the audit query will automatically appear in the investigation.
• This feature is enabled by default and requires no configuration.
• The previous CSV upload option is being removed.

[What you can do to prepare]

No action is required before rollout.

To prepare, you may want to:

• Update internal documentation for investigation and incident response workflows.
• Inform security teams and administrators who use DSI about this new capability and the removal of CSV upload support.
• Review DSI investigation processes to incorporate audit-based file enrichment.

Learn more:

• Audit log activities | Microsoft Purview | Microsoft Learn
• Learn about Data Security Investigations | Microsoft Purview | Microsoft Learn

[Compliance considerations]

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

[Introduction]

We are expanding the Data Security Posture Agent in Microsoft Purview with a new credential scanning capability. This update helps your organization discover exposed credentials and related data security risks across scoped locations. The agent analyzes selected data locations to detect sensitive credential types—including Microsoft Entra user credentials, private keys, and API tokens—and provides risk scores, AI-generated insights, confidence ratings, and credential categories so you can review, confirm, and take action from a single task board view.

This message is associated with Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 558436.

[When this will happen]

• Public Preview: Rollout will begin in late March 2026 and complete by early April 2026.
• General Availability (Worldwide): Rollout will begin in late June 2026 and complete by early July 2026.

[How this affects your organization]

Who is affected

• Admins who manage Microsoft Purview and use the Data Security Posture Agent within Microsoft 365 tenants

What will happen

• A new credential scanning capability will be added to the Data Security Posture Agent under the Explore Agent tab (figures 1-5):

1.

2.

3.

4.

• The feature uses LLM-powered credential detection to:
  • Scan selected data locations for exposed credentials.
  • Detect Entra ID credentials, private keys, API tokens, and other credential types.

• Each finding includes:
  • A risk score
  • AI-generated insights
  • A confidence score
  • A credential category
• A task board experience will be available to track progress, review findings, and take action.

[What you can do to prepare]

• Set up the Data Security Posture Agent in Microsoft Purview > Explore Agent using the required admin roles.
• Communicate this change to your security and compliance teams.

Learn more: 

• Get started with Microsoft Purview Posture Agent in Data Security Investigations | Microsoft Learn
• Security Copilot Agents in Microsoft Purview overview | Microsoft Purview | Microsoft Learn

[Compliance considerations]

[Introduction]

We’re introducing OneLake storage tiers (hot, cool, and cold) in Microsoft Fabric. As part of this rollout, we are updating how OneLake compute operations appear in your capacity billing. These updates improve clarity and align reporting with the new storage tier model. There is no change to billing rates.

Key updates include

• Operation names include the storage tier. For example, “OneLake Read via Proxy” becomes “OneLake Read (Hot).”
• Proxy and Redirect operations are consolidated. Operations previously reported separately will appear under a single operation name. Because consumption rates are the same, this has no billing impact.
• Operations are reported at the workspace level. A new OneLake item in the Fabric Capacity Metrics app groups operations by workspace instead of individual items. For item-level detail, use OneLake diagnostics to understand usage across Fabric and non-Fabric workloads.

Units of measure and consumption rates remain unchanged.

[When this will happen]

• Operation name updates begin April 1, 2026.
• Operation consolidation and Metrics app updates will roll out over the following weeks.

[How this affects your organization]

Who is affected

• All organizations using Microsoft Fabric with OneLake storage and capacity billing

What will happen

• Operation names will include the applicable storage tier (for example, “Hot”):
• Proxy and Redirect operations will appear under a single consolidated operation name:
• OneLake operations will be grouped by workspace under a new OneLake item in the Fabric Capacity Metrics app.
• Item-level compute reporting will move to OneLake diagnostics.

The following example illustrates how the report now appears:

There is no change to billing rates or your total costs.

Operation name changes:

[What you can do to prepare]

• Review any custom analytics or automation. Update operation names in reports, dashboards, and scripts to align with the new naming convention before April 1, 2026.
• Plan for workspace-level reporting. If you rely on item-level operation details in the Capacity Metrics app, configure OneLake diagnostics to maintain that granularity.
• Review the documentation for OneLake compute consumption in Microsoft Fabric.
• Share with your helpdesk and reporting teams if they monitor capacity or cost analytics.

No other action is required.

Learn more:

• Install the Microsoft Fabric capacity metrics app | Microsoft Fabric | Microsoft Learn
  
• OneLake compute and storage consumption | OneLake | Microsoft Fabric | Microsoft Learn
• OneLake diagnostics | OneLake | Microsoft Fabric | Microsoft Learn
• OneLake storage tiers – Microsoft Fabric Roadmap
• OneLake, the OneDrive for data | OneLake | Microsoft Fabric | Microsoft Learn

[Compliance considerations]

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

[Support]

For assistance, contact your Microsoft account team or visit Microsoft Fabric support.

Introduction

To address customer feedback and align Outlook Mobile with other Outlook endpoints, we’re updating how Outlook for iOS and Android handles external images in email messages. This update introduces a new “Load images for safe senders” option. This change gives users and administrators more granular control over external image behavior while maintaining security and privacy protections.

When this will happen

We will begin rollout early April 2026 and expect to complete by late April 2026.

How this affects your organization

Who is affected:

• All users of Outlook for iOS and Android
• Administrators managing Outlook Mobile settings

What will happen:

• A new third option, “Load images for safe senders,” is added to existing external image settings:
  • Block external images
  • Load images for safe senders (new)
  • Load all external images
• This change aligns Outlook Mobile behavior with:
  • Outlook for Windows (classic)
  • Outlook for Mac
• Existing user and admin defaults remain unchanged unless explicitly updated.
• No impact to email delivery, security controls, or compliance workflows.

What you can do to prepare

• No action is required if you plan to keep your current default or user-configured settings.
• Optionally review external image defaults and update internal documentation.

Learn more: Manage Outlook for iOS and Android With Intune – Microsoft Intune | Microsoft Learn

Compliance considerations

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

We've released updates to the following update channel for Microsoft 365 Apps:

• Current Channel

[When this will happen:]

We'll be gradually rolling out this update of Microsoft 365 Apps to users on that update channel starting March 24th, 2026 (PST).

[How this will affect your organization:]

If your Microsoft 365 Apps clients are configured to automatically update from the Office Content Delivery Network (CDN), then no action is required.

If you manage updates directly you can now download this latest update and begin deployment.

[What you need to do to prepare:]

To get more details about this update view the following release notes:

• Current Channel

[Introduction]

Microsoft is introducing policy sync status visibility for Microsoft 365 label publishing policies in the Microsoft Purview portal. This update provides Information Protection admins clear insight into how label publishing policy changes are syncing across selected locations. This helps reduce guesswork, speeds troubleshooting, and increases confidence during large-scale label deployments.

This message is associated with Roadmap ID 558687.

[When this will happen:]

• Public Preview: We will begin rolling out early April 2026 and expect to complete by early May 2026. 
• General Availability (Worldwide): We will begin rolling out late April 2026 and expect to complete by late April 2026.

[How this affects your organization:]

Who is affected:

• Microsoft Purview Information Protection administrators
• Organizations using Microsoft 365 sensitivity labels and label publishing policies

What will happen:

• A new Policy sync status column will appear on the Label publishing policies page in the Microsoft Purview portal.



• Each label publishing policy will display its current synchronization state across configured locations.
• A new Policy sync status card on the Reports landing page will summarize policy sync stages and highlight recent issues.



• This feature is enabled by default and respects existing permissions and policies.
• There is no impact to users.

[What you can do to prepare:]

• No action is required.
• After rollout, review the Label publishing policies page in the Microsoft Purview portal to view policy sync status.
• Share this update with security and compliance teams managing information protection.

[Compliance considerations:]

This change improves admin monitoring and reporting by adding visibility into label publishing policy synchronization status. No other compliance impacts were identified.

[Introduction]

We are introducing Catch up in Microsoft Teams mobile. This new, consolidated view helps users triage conversations that need their attention across chats, meeting chats, and followed channels or threads. The experience uses a mobile-optimized card layout with swipe actions to help users stay organized and act quickly on important messages.

This message is associated with Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 558108.

[When this will happen]

• Targeted Release: Rolling out in early April 2026; expected completion in early April 2026.
• General Availability (Worldwide): Rolling out in early May 2026; expected completion in early May 2026.

[How this affects your organization]

Who is affected

• All users accessing Microsoft Teams on mobile clients.

What will happen

• Users will see a new Catch up experience summarizing:
  • @mentions
  • Replies in followed channels/threads
  • Chats and meeting chats where actions may be required
• A new card‑based view will appear in Teams mobile: 

  

• Users can swipe cards to take quick actions and triage messages:

   

• No admin configuration changes are required.
• The feature is enabled by default for all tenants.

[What you can do to prepare]

No admin action is required at this time.

If your organization provides guidance or training for Teams usage, you may want to:

• Inform users about the new Catch up mobile view and how it supports triage.
• Update internal helpdesk or user‑support documentation if it references existing Teams mobile views.

[Compliance considerations]

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

[Introduction]

We’re improving the formatting of the Authentication Methods Policy Update audit log entry in Microsoft Entra ID. Previously, this audit log included the full authentication methods policy payload under Modified properties, even when only a small number of settings were updated.

With this update, the audit log will now display only the specific properties that changed, along with their corresponding old and new values. The audit log activity name and when it is triggered will not change. This update only changes how modified properties are displayed.

[When this will happen]

• General Availability (Worldwide): Rollout begins early April 2026 and is expected to complete by late April 2026.
• General Availability (GCC, GCCH, DoD): Rollout begins late April 2026 and is expected to complete by late May 2026.

[How this affects your organization]

Who is affected:

• Organizations that use Microsoft Entra ID audit logs, particularly administrators and security teams who review or process Authentication Methods Policy Update events.
• This may also affect organizations that rely on audit log modified properties for automated processing, alerting, or custom parsing.

What will happen:

• This update makes audit logs easier to read and interpret by reducing noise and highlighting exactly what was modified during an authentication methods policy update.
• The audit log activity name, event timing, and policy behavior remain unchanged.
• No new audit events are introduced, and existing policy enforcement is not affected.

[What you can do to prepare]

• No action is required for most organizations.
• If you use audit logs for automated processing, alerting, or custom parsing, review any logic that expects the full authentication methods policy payload in Authentication Methods Policy Update events’ modified properties.
• After this change, audit log entries for authentication method setting changes will surface only the specific properties that were modified, rather than the entire policy object.
• Policy-wide updates, such as Registration Campaigns and System-preferred MFA, may continue to include the full policy payload. 

Learn more: Microsoft Entra audit log activity reference – Microsoft Entra ID | Microsoft Learn

[Compliance considerations]

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

[Introduction]

Microsoft Teams includes audio announcements for PSTN (phone dial‑in) participants when Copilot is used in Copilot Only mode, which is Copilot without transcription. These announcements inform PSTN participants when their audio is being processed by Copilot during calls and meetings.

[When this will happen]

• General Availability (Worldwide and GCC): Rollout is complete.
• General Availability (GCCH and DoD): Rolling out in late June 2026.

[How this affects your organization]

Who is affected

• Organizations that use Copilot in Copilot Only mode
• PSTN participants in:
  • 1:1 PSTN calls
  • Group calls with PSTN participants
  • Meetings joined via Audio Conferencing (dial‑in)
  • Users connecting by “Call Me”

Copilot is accessible to users who are licensed for Microsoft 365 Copilot. This capability requires a Microsoft 365 Copilot license for the user who enables Copilot, but awareness is relevant for all tenants because PSTN participants may hear these announcements when joining calls hosted by organizations that use Copilot.

Teams desktop, web, and mobile clients are not affected.

What will happen

PSTN participants will now hear audio announcements when Copilot processes or stops processing their audio.

When Copilot Only mode starts:

• PSTN users hear a notification that Copilot is processing their audio.
• This plays when a PSTN participant joins a call with Copilot Only mode already enabled or when Copilot Only mode is turned on during a call.

When Copilot Only mode stops:

• PSTN users hear a notification that Copilot is no longer processing their audio.

Announcements follow the same localization behavior as existing recording or transcription announcements.

No new admin controls or tenant-level settings are added.

If your organization uses Copilot with transcription, no behavior changes occur, as the existing transcription announcement already communicates this information.

[What you can do to prepare]

No admin action is required. These announcements play automatically when PSTN participants are present and Copilot Only mode is active.

You may want to:

• Inform helpdesk and support teams about the new audio announcements.
• Update internal documentation related to audio conferencing and Copilot behavior.
• Notify users who frequently join meetings via phone that they may hear new audio prompts.

Learn more:

• Get started with Copilot in Microsoft Teams Phone | Copilot in Teams | Copilot | Microsoft Support
• Use Copilot in Microsoft Teams meetings | Copilot in Teams | Copilot | Microsoft Support

[Compliance considerations]

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

[Introduction]

We’re introducing a new capability in Workforce Insights agent and Microsoft 365 Copilot that allows organizations to customize how managers are identified. This enhancement uses the SupervisorIndicator attribute from the Microsoft Organizational Data Ingestion System (MODIS) to align Copilot responses, insights, and analytics with your organization’s formal manager definition. This helps ensure accurate and consistent manager‑related metrics without altering your reporting hierarchy or access controls.

[When this will happen]

• Frontier Preview: Rollout begins in late March 2026.

[How this affects your organization]

Who is affected

• Organizations using Workforce Insights agent or Microsoft 365 Copilot with organizational data provided through MODIS

What will happen

• If your tenant already provides the SupervisorIndicator attribute through MODIS, Workforce Insights agent and Microsoft 365 Copilot will automatically begin using it to identify managers.
• Many organizations define “manager” differently based on HR policies (for example, including contractors or interns, or excluding certain job families). This capability allows your organization’s definition to take precedence over the default hierarchy‑based definition.
• When SupervisorIndicator is present, it becomes the authoritative signal for manager status used in:
  • manager‑related questions and responses,
  • organizational insights,
  • analytics and metrics (such as manager counts and manager‑to‑IC ratios).
• This change aligns Copilot insights and analytics with your HR‑defined manager criteria without impacting:
  • reporting hierarchy,
  • manager–employee relationships,
  • access controls,
  • delegation,
  • privacy enforcement.
• If your tenant does not provide the SupervisorIndicator attribute, manager identification will continue using organizational hierarchy (employees with direct reports).
• The feature is enabled automatically when the attribute is present—no admin toggle is required.

[What you can do to prepare]

If your tenant uses SupervisorIndicator, ask your organizational data admin to:

• Review the values in this attribute to ensure accuracy for Copilot and Workforce Insights queries.
• Ensure your organization has at least 50 active Microsoft 365 Copilot licenses.

No other admin action is required at this time.

Learn more: 

• Use your organizational data in Microsoft 365 and Microsoft Viva | Microsoft Viva | Microsoft Learn
• Workforce Insights agent | Microsoft 365 Copilot | Microsoft 365 | Microsoft Learn

[Compliance considerations]

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