Latest Microsoft Updates

Latest Microsoft Updates

17/12/2024 - Microsoft Copilot UI Updates

We are updating the Microsoft 365 app name and icon to Microsoft 365 Copilot in mid-January 2025. In addition, we are evolving the app's UI to support future AI-first experiences. Key changes include reducing the top app header, consolidating all app-level tools and settings into the App toolbar on the left, and retiring features like Help me create and My Day from the app.

When will this happen:

These changes will begin rolling out in the Microsoft 365 Copilot app (web, Windows) starting in mid-January 2025. This is a phased rollout, so not all users will receive the update simultaneously.

How will this affect your organization:

With these updates, users will notice the following changes:

  1. The app will no longer have a top header. Instead, tools like user profile, settings, and feedback will move to the bottom left toolbar. The feedback button will be available under the 'Settings and more' section in the bottom left toolbar.

  2. The search box will now be presented on the Homepage for users to find all their content across multiple file types and storage locations. Note: There is no change to the search experience—only the placement of the feature.

  3. All the apps on the left tool bar are aligned to the top and the AI rich experiences like Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat and Copilot Pages will be presented together to establish correlation.

  4. The organization logo, previously displayed in the top header under the Organization theme, will no longer be visible in the app. Note: This change does not affect other Microsoft 365 apps where the organization logo will still appear in the header.

  5. The 'Back' button on the Windows Microsoft 365 Copilot app will not be available. Users will still be able to use the left AppBar to navigate between pages.

  6. The 'My Day' feature is being removed from the app experience, and users will no longer see the button to launch the calendar and to-do on the Microsoft 365 Copilot app. Note: This change does not affect other Microsoft 365 apps where My Day feature is available.

  7. The 'Help me create' feature will be retired from the Microsoft 365 Copilot app. Launched in February 2024, ‘Help me create’ was focused on helping users go from their stated intent to document creation using an LLM. With Microsoft 365 Copilot app becoming the destination for Copilot, we will be bringing AI powered document creation into Copilot tab. Users will be able to brainstorm ideas and draft new content based on a storyboard or a script to an agenda or an executive summary from Copilot Chat.

What you need to do to prepare:

No admin or user action is required as these changes roll out.


17/12/2024 - Microsoft Copilot Name Change and Updates

We are making several important updates to how your entire organization can experience Microsoft Copilot, our existing ad-free, AI-powered chat service grounded in the web and secured with enterprise data protection. Starting in mid-January, we will roll out the following changes:

  1. We are making name changes to simplify the user experience. Microsoft Copilot for Entra account users will be renamed Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat. Additionally, the Microsoft 365 app will be named Microsoft 365 Copilot, and its icon will be updated as announced during the November 2024 Ignite conference.

  2. The new Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat will allow end users to discover, create, and use agents.

  1. The new Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat will be accessible within the new Microsoft 365 Copilot app, with options for admins and end users to control access.

When will this happen - These changes will begin rolling out in mid-January 2025.

How this will affect your organization:

Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat (formerly Microsoft Copilot) will continue to offer web-grounded chat with the latest large language models including GPT-4o, features like Pages and file upload, and enterprise data protection at no additional cost for Entra account users.
Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat users will be able to discover, create, and use agents, including custom agents that can access shared work data in your tenant. Access to agents can be controlled and configured within the Microsoft 365 admin center. Specific agents, such as those that access shared work data, will be billed based on metered consumption for users without a Microsoft 365 Copilot license. Agents grounded only on web data will be available to use at no additional cost.
The name changes for Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat and the Microsoft 365 Copilot app, and the new Microsoft 365 Copilot app icon, will roll out across App stores and the web in mid-January.
We are also introducing a new URL to make it easier to discover Microsoft 365 Copilot on the web: M365Copilot.com. Further, users visiting http://office.com and http://microsoft365.com will automatically redirect to m365.cloud.microsoft.

Here’s a summary of the name and icon changes:

image-20241217-100744.png

26/02/2025 - Microsoft Teams: Facilitator agent takes notes in meetings and chats

Coming soon to Microsoft Teams: The Facilitator agent can take notes during your Teams meetings and chats. The Facilitator synthesizes key information from the conversations, so users can catch up quickly. In meetings, the Facilitator allows everyone to co-author real-time notes and collaborate seamlessly. In chat, the Facilitator creates and maintains an up-to-date summary of important information as the conversation happens, including key decisions, actions items, and open questions to resolve.

This message is associated with Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 478611.

We introduced the Targeted Release preview of this feature in MC937709 (Updated) Facilitator in Teams Meetings and Chats (published and updated November 2024).

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

A Microsoft 365 Copilot license is required to use this feature.

When this will happen:

General Availability (Worldwide): We will begin rolling out early April 2025 and expect to complete by late April 2025.

How this will affect your organization:

After this rollout, the Facilitator app will be on by default unless all apps are blocked by your organization. As an admin, you control whether Facilitator will be available to your entire organization or to a certain group of users. Learn more: Set up Facilitator in Microsoft Teams for collaborative AI notes - Microsoft Teams | Microsoft Learn

Facilitator and Microsoft 365 are built on Microsoft's comprehensive approach to security, compliance, and privacy. As a part of the security promise, you can discover, protect, and govern AI interactions with Facilitator through Microsoft Purview. Microsoft Purview Data Security Posture Management (DSPM) for AI helps IT and security teams proactively discover and manage data risks. Use DSPM for AI in conjunction with other Microsoft Purview capabilities such as Audit, eDiscovery, and Data Lifecycle Management to ensure data security and compliance for your organization. Learn more about Microsoft Purview here: Microsoft Purview data security and compliance protections for Microsoft 365 Copilot and other generative AI apps | Microsoft Learn.

Improvements planned for the future: AI-generated notes in chats will move to an editable canvas. This canvas will be backed by a Microsoft SharePoint Embedded file and document management system. We will provide more details closer to the feature's release. Learn more: SharePoint Embedded Overview | Microsoft Learn

03/03/2025 - Retiring "Shared with Us" Feature in SharePoint Teams sites

We are retiring the "Shared with us" feature on SharePoint Teams sites, which provided a centralized view of files and folders shared with site members. 

When this will happen:

We will begin retirement early April 2025 and expect to complete by early May 2025.

Are there any recommended alternatives to the "Shared with Us" feature:

While there is no direct replacement for this feature, users can leverage existing tools in OneDrive and SharePoint to manage shared content effectively:

·     OneDrive "Shared with me": Users can view files and folders that have been shared with them in OneDrive > Shared for a personalized view of shared content.

·     Microsoft Teams and email notifications: When files are shared via Teams or Outlook, users receive notifications and can access shared content directly from their Teams chat and email.

What you need to do to prepare:

Please ask Service Desk how to find shared content using the recommended alternatives above.

21/03/2025 - OneNote Class Notebook LTI: Retiring automatic LMS roster sync

Due to service updates and security upgrades, the OneNote Class Notebook LTI feature that is designed to automatically add students from your LMS course, module, or section to the notebook as they access it will no longer be available.

We will provide additional updates regarding replacement functionality before August 2025.

When will this happen:

This change will begin rolling out on April 23, 2025, and expect to complete by early May 2025.

How this affects your organization:

Your service may be affected if you use the LMS integration (LTI app) for OneNote Class Notebook and plan to leverage this functionality (highlighted in yellow below) to automatically provision Class Notebooks when new students enroll in your LMS courses.

What you can do to prepare:

What action is required on my part?

Once the change has been implemented, educators will need to add any new students from the LMS course or section to its associated Class Notebook manually.

This can be done by accessing the Class Notebook placement in the LMS as an educator and adding students directly using the add or remove students feature. The same feature will need to be used to manually add a class roster for Class Notebooks in any new LMS courses, sections, or modules.

What will happen if I don’t take action?

If manual additions are not made, new students added to an LMS course will not have access to the Class Notebook associated with that course.

We will continue to share updates with you regarding any new LMS roster sync developments. If you have any questions, please contact the support team at aka.ms/EDUSupport.

16/06/2025 - Copilot in 1:1 and group calls on Teams phone devices

We’re introducing Copilot support for 1:1 and group calls on Teams certified phone devices, bringing real-time AI assistance directly into your calling experience.

With this update, users can interact with Copilot during calls to generate call notes, recap conversations, and identify action items using prompt suggestions. This feature enhances productivity and ensures key information is captured during the call.

Copilot is supported on both touch and non-touch Teams phone devices, with concise, device-optimized responses. Please note post-call summaries are not included in this release.

This change is associated with Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID: 495453

When this will happen:

General Availability (Worldwide) will begin in mid-July 2025 and is expected to complete by end of July 2025.

How this affects your organization:

Once available, users with eligible Teams phone devices and the appropriate licensing will be able to use Copilot during 1:1 and group calls. This feature is on by default for supported devices, provided the necessary policies are in place.

To enable this experience:

·     Devices must be updated to the latest Teams phone application.

·     Users must have a Copilot license.

·     Transcription must be enabled by admins (policy) and users (settings).

04/07/2025 - Microsoft 365 Copilot Search General Availability

We’re introducing Microsoft 365 Copilot Search, a new AI-powered, enterprise-grade search experience that will be generally available starting mid-July 2025 for users with an eligible Microsoft 365 Copilot license. This unified search experience is accessible through the Microsoft 365 Copilot app across web, mobile, and desktop platforms.

Copilot Search leverages Microsoft Graph and Microsoft 365 Copilot connectors to index content across Microsoft 365 and third-party apps. It interprets user context, natural language, behavioral signals, and organizational relationships to deliver highly personalized, context-aware answers to complex queries. Integrated with Microsoft 365 Copilot chat, it enables users to move seamlessly from information discovery to task execution using action-oriented queries.

This message is associated with Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 490778

When this will happen:

Targeted Release: Rolling out early July 2025, expected to complete by mid-July 2025.

General Availability: Rolling out mid-August 2025, expected to complete by late August 2025.

How this will affect your organization:

Users with an eligible Microsoft 365 Copilot license will experience a new, intelligent search interface within the Microsoft 365 Copilot app on desktop, web, and mobile. Those without an eligible license will continue to use the classic Microsoft Search experience.

IT Services, Runshaw College