“Join by code” allowed users immediate access to Private Teams (no approval required), while “Join by link” required an owner approval. Microsoft has now aligned both methods to use the same approval-based process.
Microsoft will enable new messaging safety protections in Teams for tenants using the default configuration starting January 2026.
Microsoft has canceled the planned licensing enforcement for Loop Workspaces indefinitely. Users can continue to create and manage Loop Workspaces without an assigned Loop service plan, unless an admin policy restricts them.
Microsoft is rolling out three new Entra admin roles for Microsoft Purview that are automatically managed through Purview role assignments. These roles should not be assigned directly in Entra, as any manual changes will be overwritten.
Microsoft is enhancing the AI disclaimer in Copilot Chat with a new admin control that allows organizations to increase its visibility and add a custom link to internal AI policy documentation, helping users better understand AI usage guidelines.
Microsoft has introduced new Microsoft Graph APIs to configure work hours, work location, and location sharing settings in Outlook. These APIs are currently in Preview.
Microsoft is introducing Baseline Security Mode in the Microsoft 365 admin center, providing a central dashboard with 18 recommended security settings for Office products, SharePoint, Exchange, Teams, and Entra.
Name pronunciation and Pronouns are now managed in People settings in the Microsoft 365 admin center, with no changes to functionality.
Microsoft is retiring several Planner features by February 2026 while introducing new capabilities, including replacing the old user comments, new templates, and expanding the Project Manager Agent availability.
A new Teams on the web setting improves presence accuracy by detecting device activity in supported browsers, even outside the active Teams tab.
Microsoft is expanding the new Power Platform Inventory to include all Power Automate flows, Copilot flows, and Copilot Studio Lite agents available in your tenant.
Microsoft is rolling out a new Teams call rating experience, replacing the 1–5 star scale with a thumbs-up/thumbs-down system, feedback checkboxes for Audio, Video, and Screenshare, and an optional text field.
The new Outlook for Windows also includes two release modes: a standard (default) mode and a targeted release mode. Unfortunately, the release mode is controlled by the global release preferences in your M365 tenant.
SharePoint document libraries now support AI Actions such as summarization, FAQs, and audio overviews. Although Microsoft lists Copilot as a requirement, the feature also works when billed through SharePoint Agent PAYG.
Teams now extends its impersonation protection to tenant-owned domains. When an external user contacts your organization for the first time, Teams scans the sender for both brand and tenant-owned domain impersonation risks.
Microsoft Whiteboard is retiring the ability to add PDF and PowerPoint documents from OneDrive and SharePoint.
Microsoft is expanding the Edge Management Service to support cross-platform cloud policies for Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android, giving admins a unified place to manage Edge for Business settings across devices.
Microsoft introduced several new licenses, changes to Dataverse storage, and fresh promotions for Microsoft 365 Copilot Business starting 1 December 2025.
Microsoft will enable ZAP in Teams for organizations with Defender for Office 365 Plan 1 starting in January 2026, with an opt-out option available for security admins.
Legacy IDCRL authentication in SharePoint Online will be retired starting February 2026. Admins should review Purview Audit Logs and update any applications still using legacy protocols.