Microsoft Roadmap, messagecenter en blogs updates van 11-05-2024

Coming soon to Microsoft SharePoint Online: Improvements to the title area at the top of Pages and News:

• Users will be able to remove the title area, which is no longer mandatory on a page.
• The title area will be rebranded as a Banner web part with new layouts. Users can add one or more banner(s) to any column of a page, including a full-width section.

This message is associated with Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 386904.

[When this will happen:]

Targeted Release: We will begin rolling out late May 2024 and expect to complete by early June 2024.

General Availability (Worldwide, GCC, GCC High and DoD): We will begin rolling out mid-June 2024 and expect to complete by late June 2024.

[How this will affect your organization:]

After this rollout, users will see two new Banner layouts: Author and Fade. SharePoint Page and News authors can choose to add no banners, one banner, or multiple banners to the page. The first banner at the top of the page (in full-width section) is considered as a title, which is automatically synchronized to the page Title on the command bar at the top of the screen. Additional banners will function as headings in the page.

Note: You must enter a page title in the first banner or on the command bar before you can Save and close or Publish the page.

After the rollout, users will see an updated title area in the SharePoint page templates. When users create a new page using a SharePoint page template, they will see a new Banner at the top. In some situations, the old title area will not rename automatically to match the new Banner, but users will still be able to select new layout options:

1. When users edit an existing page with a title created before this rollout, users will be able to remove or keep the title area.
2. When users make a copy of an existing page with a title created before this rollout, users will be able to remove or keep the title area in the copied page.
3. When users create a new page using a custom template with title area, users will be able to remove or keep the title area.

Note: After removing a title area, users will be able to select Undo or choose a Banner to restore the title.

The pre-rollout title areas and Banners will be supported in email. When users send a Page or News as email, the layout will change slightly: the banner image will appear above the banner text.

[What you need to do to prepare:]

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

We will update this comm before rollout with revised documentation.

In Microsoft Teams, new professional wardrobe styles are coming to the Avatar builder. Refresh your avatar’s look in the Avatars app with the latest updates for your next meeting.

A group of Mesh avatars in different poses, wearing new avatar wardrobe:

[When this will happen:]

Public Preview: We will begin rolling out mid-May 2024 and expect to complete by mid-May 2024.

Targeted Release: We will begin rolling out mid-May 2024 and expect to complete by mid-May 2024.

General Availability: We will begin rolling out mid-May 2024 and expect to complete by mid-May 2024.

[How this will affect your organization:]

Requirements 

This update will be available in Microsoft Teams on Windows PC and Mac, and Microsoft Mesh on Quest.

License Requirements

This update will apply to the following licenses: Microsoft Teams Enterprise, Teams Essentials, or one of the following Microsoft 365, Office 365, or Business SKUs with Teams included: Microsoft 365 Business Basic, Microsoft 365 Business Standard, Microsoft 365 Business Premium, Microsoft 365 E3/E5, and Office 365 E1/E3/E5.

Guidance

Users can update their avatar wardrobe in the Avatars for Teams app by selecting an avatar, clicking Customize, and navigating to the wardrobe section to view the updated avatar catalog.

Some users may experience a change in color on their outerwear choice as this update rolls out. Customizing the color choice is simple, and can be done in the Avatars for Teams app. After choosing an avatar, click Customize and navigate to the Wardrobe section, then select Outerwear from the left menu. Click the color wheel to view the color palettes and select the color of choice. Click Save to apply the changes to the avatar.

Limitations

Previously available colors may no longer be accessible in the avatar builder. The update includes a refresh of wardrobe items and their default colors to offer more polished and professional customization options.

[What you need to do to prepare:]

This rollout will happen automatically by the specified date with no admin action required before the rollout. 

Additional Information:

• Wardrobe update release: Avatars in Microsoft Teams – What’s new – Microsoft Mesh | Microsoft Learn
• Users affected by outerwear color changes: Avatars in Teams Known issues – Microsoft Mesh | Microsoft Learn
• How to change your outerwear color: Customize your avatar in Microsoft Teams – Microsoft Support
• How to generate a Entra report: Troubleshooting & FAQs – Microsoft Mesh | Microsoft Learn

Microsoft Teams: As a part of this change, IT admins would see Teams Meeting Recording audit logs enriched with the consent data. The consent data would flow into audit logs irrespective of the Teams Meeting policy for attendance report. Today, the consent data is visible only in the attendance report. This change improves auditing of consent data for Teams Meetings.

[When this will happen:]

General Availability (Worldwide): We will begin rolling out mid-May 2024 and expect to complete by late May 2024.

[How this will affect your organization:]

If your organization had enabled “explicit consent for recording”, IT admins would be able to access user consent information in the Teams Meeting audit logs. 

[What you need to do to prepare:]

To simplify Microsoft Teams IT administration, we are introducing a Unified settings and policies management experience in the Microsoft Teams admin center. Now, you’ll find the search, locate, and manage settings and policies in one place, which means you won’t have to search under multiple locations in TAC to manage Teams for your users, groups, and organization.

Unified settings & policies page in Teams admin center: 

[When this will happen:]

General Availability (Worldwide): We will begin rolling out early June 2024 and expect to complete by early July 2024.

General Availability (GCC): We will begin rolling out early September 2024 and expect to complete by late September 2024.

General Availability (GCC High): We will begin rolling out early September 2024 and expect to complete by late September 2024.

General Availability (DoD): We will begin rolling out early September 2024 and expect to complete by late September 2024.

[How this will affect your organization:]

You will see this new Settings and policies option in TAC starting June 2024 and should be available to all tenants by end of July 2024.

Tenants will see this new Settings and policies option in TAC in all Microsoft Teams commercial licenses and will be available in all regions.

[How this will affect your organization:]

• The new unified settings and policy experience in Teams admin center will replace the existing separate settings and policy pages for each feature area.
• The new experience will not change the functionality or behavior of the settings and policies themselves, nor will it affect the end-user experience of Teams. It will only change how you access and manage the settings and policies in Teams admin center.
• As an IT Admin, you will see a more consistent and simplified way to configure and customize Microsoft Teams features for your organization and streamlined policies management.
• To further assist with managing settings and policies, the UI now includes additional information and guidance, such as descriptions, tooltips, documentation links, and coach marks for better clarity and support.
• You will be able to see the details of each setting and policy, such as the value, the last updated date and user, and the assigned users and groups.

[What you need to do to prepare:]

• Once the change reaches your tenant, you can opt-in or opt-out until you become familiar with this change.
• Watch for additional message center communication regarding the mandatory default change; at which time, the option to opt-out will no longer be available. (expected by end of September 2024).
• If you choose the new experience, the current separate tabs for policies and settings in Teams admin center will disappear, and the new tab Settings & policies will show up as the only tab to manage all your settings and policies.
• You do not need to make any changes to your existing settings and policies, as they will be automatically migrated to the new experience.
• However, you may want to review and update your settings and policies to ensure that they are aligned with your organization’s needs and preferences, and that they are applied to the appropriate users and groups.

Microsoft Viva: We’re excited to announce that Viva Connections is enhancing its spotlight capabilities, providing operators with more control over the content displayed in the spotlight section.

Spotlight currently features a total of 11 slots for content display, with the enhanced update allowing for a greater variety of content to be shared in the section between ‘pinned items’ and SharePoint news posts. Pinned items will always be displayed first and shown to every user in the Connections experience, giving operators the ability to highlight the most important content. The remaining slots will dynamically populate with news content from the SharePoint News Source(s) selected by the operator and will continue to follow boosted news priority and audience targeting settings. This enhancement will be specifically for the desktop experience of Viva Connections, ensuring a seamless blend of prioritized content and dynamic news updates, providing users with a rich and engaging experience.

Figure 1:

This message is associated with Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 392098

[When this will happen:]

Targeted Release: We will begin rolling out mid-May 2024 and expect to complete by mid-May 2024.

General Availability (Worldwide, GCC, GCCHigh, DoD): We will begin rolling out late May 2024 and expect to complete by late May 2024.

[How this will affect your organization:]

Upon completion of the rollout, a new Settings button will be introduced in the spotlight. Operators will see this button when they initially select the Edit button in the spotlight. This feature facilitates the customization of the spotlight component, allowing for the pinning of content, reordering of pinned items, and selection of SharePoint sites as news sources.

Figure 2:

For tenants that have not generated any content on their home site or in the Connections experience, Viva Connections will display out-of-the-box cards in the spotlight to help users orient themselves in Connections until the section is configured by the operator. These cards will vanish one by one as operators add content to the spotlight, either from the news source(s) selected by the operator or by pinning items directly onto the spotlight. Once two or more items are added to the spotlight section, the Discover more news in your feed card will remain as the last card in the spotlight section, similar to its function in the component today.

Figure 3:

[What you need to do to prepare:]

If you have a home site paired with your Viva Connections instance and don’t currently have news, begin generating news on the Connections instance and add it as a content source for the spotlight. Additionally, you can select various content sources for the spotlight if you wish to diversify the news you receive.

Additional Resources:

• Customize and edit the Viva Connections home experience | Microsoft Learn