Welcome to our ninth roundup of 2023. We look at what was announced, released and delayed across Microsoft 365 and Teams in September. These hand-picked highlights are mainly from the admin centre and Microsoft 365 Roadmap, I aim to deliver them in plain English, in a simplified format and with end-users in mind.
Once you are all caught up with September, check out the October running blog, and remember to look back at August in case you missed anything.
Here’s what we cover this month:
Are you in the UK? South Coast Summit is on Saturday 14th October 2023. There is still time to get your FREE ticket, book onto my session and come say hello! Get your ticket here, let me tell you about my session on YouTube.
Lists
Delayed: New List Templates with Approvals
Microsoft are introducing two new list templates with Approvals app integration (Travel Requests with approvals and Content Scheduler with approvals). If you create a new list item in either template, you can submit it for approval by creating an approval request and specifying the approver. Your request will appear in the Approvals app in Teams or can be approved directly within the list. Once approved, the list item status is updated. Now due mid-July to late September 2023. Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID:100502 (MC525660).
👀 Check out lasts month’s Lists updates.
OneDrive
Delayed, but finally rolling out: Recommended Files (For you) in OneDrive online
OneDrive will soon display a list of recommended files in your Home view. This list is intended to help you to keep track of work around you and quickly access files with activity of value to you, such as edits, mentions, and comments by people you interact with. Appearing now (screenshot below is from my account)…but you may not see it until late September 2023. Read more.
You may have noticed from the above screenshot that Browse files by Meetings and Browse files by people are rolling out now too!
🆕 One to watch: Files On-Demand for Web
Microsoft: The Files On-Demand options of “Always keep on this device” and “Free up space” will soon be made available on OneDrive for Web for your synced files. You will be able to select files and folders to be always available offline on your device directly from within the browser without having to navigate away to File Explore or Finder to perform this action. OneDrive will download these, and they’ll take up space on your computer. You will also be able to “Free up space” by selecting a file or folder that you previously marked as “Always keep on this device”, and they will no longer take up local storage space”. Due December 2023?
🆕 Performance improvements
Microsoft: “This feature will provide faster page load times when using OneDrive for Web or when using the Files app in Teams irrespective of your network speed. You will see faster screen loading, sorting, filtering, file moving, and renaming. This increase in speed is made possible by storing file metadata in the local cache of your device as opposed to requesting it from the cloud service”. Due December 2023?
One to watch: Offline mode
Microsoft: “This feature will allow you to launch OneDrive in your browser and view, sort, rename, move, copy, delete and files even without internet access. Additionally, for locally stored OneDrive files (those that are marked as “always available offline”) you will be able to open and work on these in your browser even if you are offline. All of the changes you make offline will be automatically synced back when Internet connection is restored”.
👀 Check out lasts month’s OneDrive updates.
🎬 Watch the OneDrive highlights on YouTube.
Outlook
🆕 Outlook on the Web: Meeting Participants Time-Zone Notification
Microsoft: “Every time you schedule a meeting in Outlook on the web or Monarch, you will get a tool tip message in case attendees that are in a different time as soon as open the new event compose form and add attendees. The tool tip will advise you to navigate to the scheduling assistant which will help the organizer on local time conversions thereby helping the organizer to take more informed decision”. Refs: MC678310 and Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 170783. Due to mid to late October 2023.
Outlook Web: Ability to Hide Favourites From Folder List
Microsoft: Users in Outlook for the web will have the ability to update their settings in order to hide Favorites if they do not use or want to see them. By default, Favorites will be visible, but with this feature, users can opt to hide the Favorites experience from their view. Once hidden, users can always go back and unhide their Favorites”. Refs: MC676546 and Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 167071. Due late October to late November 2023.
Outlook shared calendar notifications
Get notified when someone makes a change to a calendar that has been shared with you, and when someone makes a change to your calendar. Due between mid-September and mid-November. Read more.
The Teams meeting Outlook add-in now supports multi-tenant/account meeting creation for users of new Teams
The Teams meeting add-in in Outlook now supports the ability to switch between multiple tenants and accounts to schedule Teams meetings. Available now for users of the new Teams client. Read more.
🆕 One to watch: iCloud account support
Microsoft: “Users with iCloud accounts will now be able to add the accounts to the new Outlook for Windows”. Due September 2023?
🆕 One to watch: Message Recall on Outlook on the Web and the New Outlook for Windows
Microsoft: “Exchange Online’s Cloud-based Message Recall feature will be coming to Outlook on the Web and the New Outlook for Windows”. Due October 2023?
🆕 One to watch: Notifications for @mentions in mail and documents
Microsoft: “Now you’ll receive a notification when you’re @mentioned in an email, document, or loop. To view your notifications, tap the bell icon to the upper right of the message list”. Due October 2023?
🆕 One to watch: The new Outlook for Windows – Offline support for mail actions and compose
Microsoft: “The first set of offline capabilities in the new Outlook for Windows. Mail, calendar events, and contacts will be stored on your device, so you can view them even when you’re not connected to the internet. Additionally, you can perform key actions on your mail, including flag, move, and delete, and compose messages, to stay productive even when you’re not connected to the internet”. Due October 2023?
One to watch: Notifications for @mentions in mail and documents
Microsoft: “Now you’ll receive a notification when you’re @mentioned in an email, document, or loop. To view your notifications, tap the bell icon to the upper right of the message list”. Due October 2023?
One to watch: Dictation Support
Microsoft: “Dictation lets you use speech-to-text to author messages in Outlook with a microphone and reliable internet connection. It’s a quick and easy way to draft emails, send replies, and capture the tone you’re going for”. Due on Outlook web October 2023?
One to watch: Controlled-content meeting template (Premium)
Microsoft: “We are launching an out-of-the-box template that can be useful when meeting with external participants. The controlled-content meeting template has preset defaults for meeting options to provide tight controls over lobby bypass, who can present, allowing chat in lobby/in-meeting, and who can record”. Due October 2023?
One to watch: Expand and Collapse Folders on mobile
Microsoft: “Stay organized and navigate easily by expanding or collapsing your nested mail folders using the “” button at the right of the folder row”. Due October 2023 on iOS and Android.
One to watch: Scheduling across different time zones
Microsoft: “When scheduling a meeting with people in different time zones, the organizer will be prompted with additional insights regarding each participant’s respective time zone. The Scheduling Assistant will now help find a time that works for meeting participants across time zones”. Due October 2023?
One to watch: Scheduling Assistant settings moving to the toolbar
Microsoft: “We are moving the settings for the Scheduling assistant to the toolbar to reduce clicks and a more seamless scheduling experience”. Due October 2023?
One to watch: Paste as plain text on iOS
Microsoft: “You can now* paste as plain text, removing all formatting with ease”. *Due October 2023?
One to watch: Understand and update sharing privileges on OneDrive and SharePoint links
Microsoft: “Now, when you add a OneDrive or SharePoint file to an email, Outlook will notify you if anyone doesn’t yet have permissions so you can update those before sending your email”. Due September 2023?
One to watch: Ability to hide Favourites from folder list
Microsoft: “The Hide Favorites feature allows users to personalize their folder pane by hiding the Favorites section. By default, Favorites will be visible, but with this feature, users have the option to hide the Favorites experience from their view. Once hidden, users can always go back and unhide their Favorites”. Due September 2023?
👀 Check out lasts month’s Outlook updates.
🎬 Watch the Outlook highlights on YouTube.
Planner
🆕 Logo update for the Tasks by Planner and To Do app in Microsoft Teams
Microsoft: “We are updating the app icon and logo associated with the “Tasks by Planner and To Do app” in Microsoft Teams – all existing app functionality will remain the same”. The shape reflects the core functionality of the app aligning with Planner, the colours seem to reflect the apps reach across M365. Refs: MC677234. Due by late September 2023.
🆕 Personal plans are coming to Microsoft Planner
Microsoft Planner will soon support Personal Plans which are shared only with the creator who will the sole member and owner of the plan. They can also be moved to an M365 Group for collaboration with colleagues. Don’t get too excited though, there’s no actual way for most of us to create them. Due mid to late October 2023. Read more.
See your Recent Microsoft Planner plans and Microsoft To Do Lists on Microsoft 365 Homepage
Microsoft: “Currently, you cannot see your recently accessed Planner plans or Microsoft To Do lists in your Microsoft 365 homepage. With this update, you will be able to see and access all your recent plans and lists alongside your Microsoft Project for the web projects, Word documents, PowerPoint decks, and more on office.com”. Refs: MC664477 and Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 149272. Now due early October to mid-November 2023.
A Planner component is coming to Microsoft Loop
Do you and your colleagues use the Microsoft Loop app to work on projects together? You’ll soon be able to bring Planner into Loop and use it alongside your related lists, tables and notes etc. Due late September to early October. Read more.
🎬 Watch the Planner highlights on YouTube.
SharePoint
On hold: Moving the “add section” feature to be inline on canvas
Microsoft: “in a previous post, we mentioned we would be moving the “add section” feature to be inline on canvas. Based on the feedback we received, we are currently reconsidering the best way to design this user experience and will have a new update for you soon. For now, you can expect to still find the “add section” in the left toolbar”. Read more.
One to watch: Out-of-the-box document library templates
Microsoft: “We are bringing the goodness of List templates to SharePoint document libraries. Creating document libraries will now be a breeze with our ready-made templates with scenario relevant content, structure, metadata, and content types – all to save you time and maintain broader consistency across your content management organization”. Due October 2023?
👀 Check out lasts month’s SharePoint updates.
Stream
Delayed: New Stream (on SharePoint) web part release
Microsoft: “The Stream (on SharePoint) web part will support configuration of a single video and multiple videos for videos stored in OneDrive or SharePoint”. Refs: MC666623 and Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 124800. The new webpart is now due mid-August to mid-October 2023.
Delayed: Stream Playlist View in the SharePoint List Webpart
Page editors will soon be able to select a playlist to be displayed in the list webpart using the list picker. Viewers will see the list of videos and a playback window. Refs: MC564196 and Roadmap ID 124808. Now due early June 2023 to late August mid-September 2023 .
Delayed: Stream video preview and playback in Microsoft Teams chats and channels
You will soon be able to preview and play Stream videos directly in Microsoft Teams Chats and Channels without having to open them in a browser and going to Stream. Now due by late October 2023. Read more.
👀 Check out lasts month’s Stream updates.
Teams
🆕 Teams Live events are dead*. Long live Teams Town Halls!
Microsoft have announced that Teams Live Events will be retired for commercial customers on 30th September 2024, and the functionality will be replaced with Town halls, which will be available from early October 2023. Read more.
🆕 Public Preview: Immersive spaces are coming to Microsoft Teams meetings
Immersive spaces allow you to have a fun, 3D meeting experience during your Teams meetings. Experience Spatial Audio, play team building interactive games and express yourself with live reactions to engage with others during discussions. Due in Public Preview from October 2023. Read more.
Coming soon to Microsoft Teams webinars: unique join links for external presenters
Organisers of Teams webinars will soon be able to create unique join links for their external presenters, who will receive exclusive Teams join links. These links enable external presenters to enter the event, eliminating the need for organisers to manually admit them from the event lobby or modify their event role during the session. Due late October to early November 2023. Read more.
Simplifying Meeting Join Experiences on Teams Mobile
Microsoft: “We are improving the meeting join experience on Teams Mobile (iOS / Android) in several ways:
- Streamlining the meeting join process by reducing the number of steps it takes to join the meeting, particularly for users joining from externally of the organization.
- Users who join without signing in will now have the capability to preset and preview video / audio settings prior to joining the meeting.
- Simplifying the join process for users with multiple accounts by improving the account switching user experience”.
Refs: MC675813 and Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 146741. Due mid-October to mid-November 2023.
Collaborative meeting notes are coming to Teams on mobile
The ability to use Collaborative meeting notes (view, edit, and create collaborative notes including agenda, notes, and follow-up tasks) is coming to Teams for iOS and Android. This update will bring the mobile experience more in line with desktop. Due early to late October 2023. Read more.
Microsoft Teams emojis, GIFs and stickers to be combines in one picker
With this update emojis, GIFs, and stickers will be combined in one picker under the smiley face icon. Clicking the smiley face will open the new, combined picker. Now due early to late November 2023. Read more.
Preview the new Microsoft Teams on Mac
Microsoft: “We’re rolling out the preview of the new Microsoft Teams desktop app for Mac to our users in the Public preview and Targeted release programs”. Refs: MC672547 and Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID: 122540. Due from early September 2023.
Read more: Install and prerequisites for the Microsoft new Teams for the Mac – Microsoft Teams | Microsoft Learn and Known issues in the new Microsoft Teams for the Mac – Microsoft Teams | Microsoft Learn.
Near real-time sync calendar sync with Outlook Calendar
Microsoft: “With this update, any Calendar updates you make in outlook will be available in near-real time on Teams Calendar (Desktop/Web). This keeps your calendar across Outlook and Teams always in sync with each other”. Refs: MC674979 and Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 138248. Due mid-September to mid-October 2023.
🆕 Delayed: Web links from Microsoft Teams chats to open in Microsoft Edge; Teams chat will open side-by-side with link
Microsoft: “The Microsoft Teams desktop app for Windows will open web links from Teams chats in Microsoft Edge to enable a new web and chat side-by-side experience.
By opening web links in Edge, users will be able to see those links side-by-side with their Teams chats—web links will open as new browser tabs and the Teams chats will open next to them in the Edge sidebar. This new, single-view Teams experience in Edge is designed to minimize switching between windows and to help users stay in the flow of work while referencing web links”. Refs: MC669480 and M365 Roadmap ID 126334. Now due early to late November 2023.
Delayed: Change your Work Hours and Location in Microsoft Teams
Work Hours and Location (WHL) in Outlook on the web lets you set and share your in-office/at-home schedule. Should your schedule change, this new Teams feature allows you to quickly change your WHL on the fly. Delayed for some, you may not see this until early November 2023. Read more.
Delayed: Microsoft Teams is getting a new chat and channel search experience
Microsoft have announced improvements to the search experience for chats and channels. They include a search pane on the right, a ‘Find in channel’ button and improved result captioning/highlighting. Now due early to late October 2023. Read more.
Delayed: Attach Cloud Files in Chat and Channel from Teams Mobile
Microsoft: “We are introducing the capability to upload files from OneDrive from Teams Mobile chat and channel for iOS and Android. Additionally, users will be able to view Recent files and attach the most used files upfront from the Recent section“. Refs: MC579610 and Roadmap IDs 98321 & 98327. Due late June to early October 2023.
Delayed: New Microsoft Teams channel experience
A new channels experience is coming to Microsoft Teams. Updates include compose box at the top of the page, most recent posts appear at the top of the feed, individual posts can be ‘popped out’ and behave more like Chats, improved info pane, simplified ‘new activity’ badging. Now due early to late October 2023. Read more.
Delayed: Suggested Files in 1:1 Chats
Microsoft: “As an extension of Suggested Replies in 1:1 chats, you can now easily save time when you need to send a file in a chat by tapping on a “Share file” suggestion”. Refs: MC513664 and Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 95065. Now due late November to mid-December 2023. Read more: Use file suggestions to quickly share content in Teams.
Delayed: Channel meeting invitation | Allow organiser to send a channel meeting invite to everyone in team
Microsoft: “Often, channel meetings get missed since users are not appropriately notified about them. With the added enhancement, meeting organizers can turn a toggle button on the scheduling form when scheduling a channel meeting. Once the toggle is turned on and meeting is saved, all channel members will be notified of the meeting on their main work calendar”. Refs: MC661224 and Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 142405. Now due mid-September to late October 2023.
Delayed: Workflows are replacing Connectors within the Microsoft Teams channels menu in the new Teams client
Microsoft: “Microsoft Teams will be bringing workflows powered by Power Automate into the overflow menu for channels and replacing the Connectors option within the menu”. Now due late October to mid-November 2023. Read more.
Delayed: Coming to Microsoft Teams: The Power Automate app will be renamed to “Workflows”
Microsoft: “To provide a unified workflow experience within Microsoft Teams we will be merging the existing Workflows app with the Power Automate app. With this merger the Power Automate app will be changing its name to “Workflows”. Now due mid-October to early November 2023. Read more.
🆕 One to watch: Integrate Chat notification with Meeting RSVP status
One to watch: “Microsoft Teams users will be able to control how they get notified in meeting chats through RSVP to their meetings. When you decline a meeting, you will not receive notifications or see the chats in chat list; when you accept a meeting, you will receive notification for all new messages”. Due December 2023?
🆕 One to watch: Require background blur when no background is selected (Premium)
Microsoft: “When enabled, if a user does not have a background image applied their video background will be blurred”. Due October 2023?
One to watch: Branded Meetings – Join Launcher Screen with Brand Image and Logo Support (Premium)
Microsoft: “The Teams Join Launcher web page will now support the brand logo and brand image uploaded for branded meetings. This is a Teams Premium feature”. Due November 2023?
One to watch: In-meeting Error Messaging
Microsoft: “Microsoft Teams Meeting users will be notified directly through the error message for why they cannot access meeting chats when their chat access is limited by policy or due to system limitations and unexpected errors. This will only be available in the new Teams experience“. Due November 2023?
One to watch: Engagement information in Teams Attendance Report (Premium)
Microsoft: “Enables meeting organizers to view meeting engagement data such as total reactions, raised hands, cameras turned on, and more in the ‘Attendance’ tab after a meeting”. Due September 2023?
👀 Check out lasts month’s Teams updates.
🎬 Watch the Teams highlights on YouTube.
Viva
Viva Connections “Top News” Card Updated to Include More News Source Options
Microsoft: Improvements are coming to the Viva Connections Top News Card, which will be rebranded as the “News Card.” These enhancements will introduce greater configurability and the ability to create multiple News Card instances, while the default configuration will remain consistent with the Top News Card”. Refs: MC676544 and Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 173074. Due mid to late October 2023.
New Location for Saved Feed Items on Viva Connections Mobile
Microsoft: “Viva Connections Mobile users will soon see a new UI change. The home for saved links is moving from the app title bar into the Feed tab for improved alignment and access. This update will make it easy to toggle between the fresh feed and your saved items”. Refs. MC675814 and Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 161514. Due late September 2023 to early October 2023.
Hero Image for Viva Connections Mobile
Microsoft: “The Hero image (also known as the banner image) which is currently visible to users on Viva Connections desktop will soon be available to users on Viva Connections mobile and tablet”. Refs: MC674735 and Roadmap ID 160989. Due late September 2023 to October 2023.
Verified Topics Badges
Microsoft: “With this update, editors can mark published topics as Verified in Microsoft Viva and add a specific group of SMEs as editors to the topic. Verification helps readers identify topics with added reliability. Topics that are Verified are identified by a special badge and indicate the content is reviewed for accuracy and are regularly updated by assigned editors. Assigned editors will be informed of being added to the topic via an email”. Refs: MC673980 and Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 118239. Due early to mid late September 2023.
One to watch: Viva Home
Microsoft: “Viva Home is the home for the Viva suite on the web. Accessible via microsoft365.com app launcher and app explorer, it provides a single landing destination on the web for Viva users with the goal to help with education, discovery and navigation to licensed Viva modules”. Due December 2023?
One to watch: Changes to Viva Engage Connector for Topic Name
Microsoft: “In support of migrating tenants from using legacy Viva Engage topics to Viva Topics, changes are coming to the Power Automate connector for Viva Engage. The topic name parameter will be deprecated from the connector. Legacy flows will continue to work, but the topic name parameter will not be available for new flows”. Due September 2023
One to watch: Changes to Viva Engage Connector for Topic Name
Microsoft: “In support of migrating tenants from using legacy Viva Engage topics to Viva Topics, changes are coming to the Power Automate connector for Viva Engage. The topic name parameter will be deprecated from the connector. Legacy flows will continue to work, but the topic name parameter will not be available for new flows”. Due September 2023
One to watch: Engage Conversation Analytics
Microsoft: “Updates to conversation analytics will allow users to better understand engagement trends that occur on their posts including employee sentiment on popular conversations”. Due January 2024
One to watch: Viva Engage Copilot
Microsoft: “Viva Engage Copilot leverages LLM (Large Language Model) AI technology to provide you with personalized assistance to create engaging communications that support your professional goals”. Due December 2024
One to watch: Viva Glint – Self service to set survey deactivation times
Microsoft: “Improved self service; Ability to set survey deactivation time”. Due January 2024
One to watch: Viva Insights custom attributes
Microsoft: “New logic allows analysts to build on or combine existing organizational attributes. For instance, a new org attribute that combines several roles that can then be used to filter results in the analysis”. Due February 2024
One to watch: Viva Insights custom nudges
Microsoft: “Customers and partners to configure custom nudges and recurring nudge workflows. The framework supports custom targeting criteria, UX templates, publication tools, and visibility into impact measures. Supports nudging workflows for a chain of nudges and recurrence for weekly or monthly suggestions”. Due June 2024
One to watch: Viva Insights leader deep-dive reports focus on customers, business operations and agility
Microsoft: “There will be a new report for leaders in Viva Insights app in Teams tied to business outcomes. Leaders can view a bundle of relevant metrics and suggested actions. Leaders can further drill down by customizing the filters such as time periods, benchmarks, scopes, view insights breakdown by groups within their organization, and more”. Due December 2023
👀 Check out lasts month’s Viva updates.
Whiteboard
One to watch: Open existing board in Teams with Follow
Microsoft: “The ability to open an existing whiteboard in a Teams meeting with the follow feature already initiated. This allows users to share a whiteboard with follow enabled immediately”. Due October 2023?
One to watch: Quick start with personalized templates on empty whiteboards
Microsoft: “When opening a new blank whiteboard, users will be presented with personalized templates to jumpstart their work”. Due November 2023?
👀 Check out lasts month’s Whiteboard updates.
Around Microsoft 365
🆕 Loop workspaces will start counting towards tenant storage quotas
Microsoft: “During the Loop app Public Preview, Loop workspaces were not counted towards your tenant’s storage quota. As the Loop app exits Public Preview, workspaces will start counting towards your tenant’s storage quota”. The maximum workspace size will increase from 5GB to 1TB. This change is due late October to late November 2023.
🆕 Left navigation customisation on Microsoft365.com
This update will allow you to customise the apps on the left navigation on Microsoft365.com. The current set of default apps on the app bar will be removed and you will be presented with a menu allowing you to choose the specific apps you want. Read more.
One to watch: Support for layers in Visio for the web
Microsoft: “Users with a Visio Plan 1 or Visio Plan 2 license can now use layers to group a related set of shapes in a drawing and change properties of all the layer members at once”. Due September 2023?
Power Platform – Announcing General Availability of Access Check to view all users who have access to a record
Microsoft: “We are preparing an update that will allow record owners to view all users who have access to their record(s). This update is expected to be released by the end of September”. Ref: MC675134. Due TBC. Read more: Use access checker to view all users who have access to your record | Microsoft Learn.
OneNote for Windows 10 retirement of the Translation Feature
Microsoft: “Once the feature is deactivated, it will no longer provide any translations. However, this will not affect your ability to use OneNote for Windows 10 or cause any data loss. This change applies to all users”. Refs: MC674736. Due November 2023. Read more: Deprecating Translation in OneNote for Windows 10 – Microsoft Support.
On hold? Handwriting Beautification and Ink Straightening for Microsoft Whiteboard
Microsoft: “The ability to make handwriting more legible & readable is coming to Whiteboard for the web, Microsoft Teams, Windows app and Surface Hubs/MTR experiences as well as Annotations in Teams meetings. The new capability will enable smoother collaboration while using ink”. Refs: MC565166 and Roadmap ID 124897. Microsoft: “We are evaluating the timeline to complete this rollout and will communicate via Message center when we are ready to proceed”.
👀 Check out lasts month’s other updates from Around M365.
🎬 Watch the Around M365 highlights on YouTube.
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