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What’s new for Microsoft Teams – August 2025
August was one of those months with updates in all major Microsoft Teams features. We got improvements to meetings, chats, and devices – but the one that really stood out was workflows triggered by emoji reactions. I know it sounds odd, but reacting with an emoji can escalate a support issue, or route a message to the appropriate channel.
Meetings can now share recap notes and follow-up tasks directly to SharePoint as a news post, chats got a new collaborative space for real-time collaboration, and iPad users finally have proper external audio device controls and camera switching.
These monthly updates keep rolling out whether we’re ready or not. Some are game-changers, others are just nice to have. Either way, it’s worth staying on top of what’s new – you never know which feature might end up saving you time every day.
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Meeting organizers and presenters can share meeting recap notes and follow-up tasks directly from Teams to SharePoint as a news post, facilitating the seamless sharing of post meeting follow-up details.
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Teams and Outlook contacts will be unified by August 2025, allowing changes in one to reflect in the other. Migration began in January 2024, with a full unified experience rolling out from December 2024. Users may see duplicate contacts labeled ‘Teams Conflict’ during transition. Update training and documentation accordingly.
Voice Apps Express Setup in Teams Admin Center is now generally available, offering a simplified, guided setup for Auto Attendants and Call Queues with minimal configuration, built-in testing, and easy transition to classic setup. Ideal for SMBs, quick deployments, and first-time admins, it requires no activation.
The “Deploy Shifts to your frontline teams at scale” feature in Teams Admin Center will retire on September 5, 2025. After that, admins must manage Shifts via the Teams web or desktop app. No action is needed; the change happens automatically.
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To improve privacy, when transcription is off, captions will now show only the past five minutes of dialogue instead of the full meeting. If transcription is on, captions display the entire conversation, just like with live transcription. We’re also fixing an issue where changing the caption position could cause data loss—now, moving captions will not affect the text shown. These updates also apply to Real-time Text (RTT), ensuring a consistent and reliable experience.
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A new collaborative space is now available directly from your Teams chat, enabling real-time collaboration, organization of key information, and streamlined communications. Chat notes is available in 1:1 and group chat, and is accessible only to the chat members. Add images, format text, share Loop components, and mention chat members when you require their attention.
Microsoft Teams will allow users to independently set UI language, date, and time formats, separate from their operating system settings, starting August 2025. This enhances personalization without changing current behavior unless users adjust settings. No admin action is needed; users can configure preferences in Teams settings.
Outlook and Teams will get a refreshed Event scheduling interface with new Copilot features to enhance meeting creation. Rolling out from mid-August to mid-November 2025, it will be enabled by default without admin action. Prepare by informing users, providing training, and updating documentation. No compliance issues noted.
Microsoft Teams will remove the toggle for the legacy calendar, making the new integrated Microsoft 365 calendar the default. This update rolls out from September to December 2025 across various environments. No admin action is needed, but users should be informed and documentation updated accordingly.
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Community admins can now produce or stream their broadcasts using Teams Town hall, offering higher-quality production and enhanced functionality.
Microsoft Teams is introducing SQL-like structured search queries (e.g., from:, in:, is:) to filter messages, files, and conversations more precisely. Rolling out August 2025 on Web, Desktop, and Mac, this feature enhances search accuracy without admin action needed. Users can activate it by typing supported commands in the search bar.
Teams Admin Center will soon enable deployment, management, and monitoring of frontline worker pilots, allowing admins to configure workloads, assign users, share app access via QR code, and track adoption. Public preview starts mid-September 2025, with general availability by mid-October 2025.
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Now Cloud IntelliFrame, the AI-based cloud technology that optimizes views of in-room participants for hybrid meetings, is available for Teams Rooms on Android using group framing. It is set as the default in those rooms, while remaining disabled by default in others. Admins can manage this behavior through console settings.
Microsoft Teams will introduce a dedicated download option to track all webinar registrants, enhancing visibility and reporting. Available by default from August to mid-September 2025, it requires no user impact or preparation. No compliance issues are identified.
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Multiple camera views and IntelliFrame (Multi-stream and cloud) from Teams Rooms on Windows are now available in Teams webinar and structured meetings with “Manage what attendees see” enabled. Organizers and presenters of these meetings can access intelligent camera views and bring them on the live stage for attendees. Available with Teams Rooms Pro.
Live captions are now available on mobile devices with enhanced customization options, making captions easier to read and follow during meetings. You can personalize your captions by adjusting the font color, caption background color, and caption height. These enhancements ensure captions remain accessible and comfortable, especially under varying lighting conditions or when you’re on the go.
Intelligent meeting recap uses AI to provide a quick summary of your meeting, highlighting key discussion points, identifying follow-up actions, and offering quick access to significant points such as name mentions, when a screen was shared, individualized speaker markers, topics, and chapters.
Users can now choose the translation language you prefer without affecting what other meeting participants see in Teams Rooms on Android. Currently, live captions display in the spoken language by default, this change allows individuals to select their own experience. This feature is available on Teams Rooms Pro.
Microsoft Teams will retire several Chat Copilot smart actions (“Summarize what I missed,” “What are the open items?” and “What decisions were made?”) and the Add to Group Chat Coachmark between late August and early September 2025. No admin action is needed; users will lose access to these features.
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Microsoft Teams now integrates with Microsoft Defender for Office 365 Tenant Allow/Block List, enabling security admins to centrally manage blocked external domains in Teams. This blocks communications from those domains, supports audit logging, and requires Teams admins to enable security team access. Rollout begins mid-August 2025.
Microsoft Teams will enable triggering workflows via emoji reactions using the Workflows app, streamlining task automation. Available from late July 2025, this feature requires the Workflows app enabled and not blocked by DLP policies. Admins should review settings and raise user awareness to prepare.
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Host interactive virtual events with avatars in customizable 3D spaces. Schedule immersive events from your Teams calendar and join events directly in Microsoft Teams on PC or Mac. Organizers can customize an immersive event’s 3D space with images, videos, and 3D models, no coding skills required. Attendees can mingle in the 3D space and engage with different features that provide a rich interactive experience.
It’s easier for admins to enable the benefits of intelligent audio and video and Copilot for users in Teams Rooms through a new user interface, and admin settings. These new settings, on the device and in the Pro Management portal, simplify configuration and remove the requirement to use PowerShell, offering improved visibility across rooms.
Teams apps version 1.12 and earlier will be removed from the Microsoft 365 admin center’s Integrated apps view starting late August 2025 but remain fully manageable in the Teams admin center. No action is required, and user experience remains unchanged.
Microsoft Teams will replace “Highlights from this conversation” with “Summarize Thread” in post/reply channels starting mid-August 2025. This new feature, enabled by default, summarizes conversations over 1000 characters for a consistent experience across channels, requiring no admin setup. Inform users and update training accordingly.
Microsoft Teams Desktop will enhance meeting search by allowing users to find meetings by title or participant, join meetings, view recaps, RSVP, and access related chats and files. Features include a “Meeting” search filter and a dedicated tab, rolling out August 2025 with no admin action needed.
Microsoft Teams on iPad now allows muting external audio devices and switching cameras via a long press on the camera icon. These features, rolling out now and enabled by default, enhance meeting control without requiring admin setup. Users should update their Teams app to access them.
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Microsoft Teams can now detect and warn users on malicious URLs sent in Teams chat and channels, increasing protection against malware attacks.
Microsoft Teams now blocks messages containing weaponizable file types, such as executables, in chats and channels, increasing protection against malware and other file-based attacks.
Users can now use the Facilitator agent in Teams Rooms on Windows for real-time notes and action items during both scheduled hybrid and impromptu in-person meetings using AI. In hybrid meetings, the agent appears in the notes panel. For in-person meetings, a participant can scan the QR code on the display in the room to invoke the agent as the group’s assistant.
Microsoft Teams is enhancing private channels by increasing limits to 1000 channels per team and 5000 members per channel, enabling meetings, and shifting compliance policies from user mailboxes to team group mailboxes. Migration starts late September 2025; admins must update policies by September 20, 2025.
Microsoft Teams Calling Plans SMS now offers self-service campaign rejection handling, a proactive Microsoft validation layer, and clearer status updates like “Customer Update Pending.” Admins can view rejection reasons, resubmit campaigns up to four times, and manage approvals directly in the Teams Admin Center, improving transparency and efficiency.
Microsoft Teams PowerShell Module requires updated application permissions—RoleManagement.Read.Directory and GroupMember.Read.All—for Entra app authentication starting September 15, 2025. Organizations must review and update these permissions in Entra ID to avoid service disruption. No changes needed for delegated permissions.
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Currently in a Teams Town hall, attendees cannot raise their hands and share their microphone and camera as they can in a meeting. With this new update, town halls organized by users with Teams Premium will allow attendees to raise their hand like they would in a standard Teams meeting. The ability to raise a hand can signal to organizers and presenters, who can then bring attendees on screen to allow them to share their camera and microphone.
We are bringing Pages to your Teams Channel experience. Create and collaborate using Pages directly in any of your channels.
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The room video tile dynamically adjusts size based on the number of people in the room. When one person is in the room, the tile matches the remote participant’s size. With two or more people, the room tile expands to be four times larger. Admins can enable or disable the people count feature.
Microsoft is rolling out an enhanced Teams town hall experience in Viva Engage for live events starting September 2025. Community admins can choose between the new Teams town hall and legacy live events, offering higher-quality, large-scale event broadcasting with no required admin configuration.
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SharePoint agents in Microsoft Teams Channels enable users to access and summarize SharePoint content via @mentions without leaving Teams. Rolling out globally from late August to mid-September 2025, this feature is on by default, requires no admin changes, and supports existing governance and compliance controls.
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We are updating private channels to align with compliance model for all channels. After this change, compliance policies applied to the team (M365 Group) will apply to all channels in the team – across standard, private, and shared. Private channels will no longer need user level targeting of policies different from other channels, and private channel compliance messages will no longer be copied to user mailboxes, relying on a dedicated, internal mailbox per channel like shared channels. In addition, limits for private channels will be increased so each team can have more than 30 private channels, up to the 1000 total channel limit per team. Private channel member limits will increase from 250 to 5000. You will also be able to schedule meetings in private channels.
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With AI Workflows in the Workflows app, you will have access to custom AI-powered templates to automate complex tasks and streamline daily operations. AI Workflows enhance productivity by simplifying task execution and helping users stay organized throughout the day. Admins can enable this feature to equip users with intelligent automation tools that make managing work more efficient and intuitive.
We’re introducing a new admin setting that replaces the Installed apps section in app setup policies, enabling more streamlined per-app deployment control. With controls to pre-install the app for : all users, specific users and groups, or no users.
Microsoft Loop Pages will be integrated as tabs in Teams channels, allowing creation, editing, sharing, and mobile viewing. Rolling out from September to October 2025, this feature is on by default, inherits channel permissions, and may increase Loop component usage, requiring review of permissions and governance policies.
SharePoint introduces a new Workflows experience aligned with Teams, powered by Power Automate, for streamlined automation in lists, libraries, and chats. It features a unified menu, natural language editing, and templates. Rollout begins mid-September 2025, requiring no admin action and preserving existing workflows and compliance.
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With the new org chart users will not only be able to contextaulize a person, they will also be able to scroll through visited profiles, see a manager’s reports counts, and more.
Microsoft Teams will soon let users toggle Copilot off during meetings, disabling recording, transcripts, and Facilitator while off. Rollout starts mid-September 2025. Users control this via the Copilot icon on desktop, web, and mobile. No admin action is needed, but user notification is recommended.
Microsoft Teams introduces Organizer Controls in the meeting toolbar, consolidating management features into one menu for improved usability and security. Rolling out from August to October 2025, it changes access to existing features without requiring admin action. Teams Premium users gain Prevent Copy of Chat under Advanced Protection.
Microsoft Teams Copilot will default to running without transcription for new meetings starting mid-September 2025, with conversation history now persisting during meetings. Transcription must be manually enabled for post-meeting insights. Custom policies remain unchanged, and admins can control settings via Teams meeting policies.
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Microsoft Teams Premium introduces a “Prevent screen capture” feature to block screenshots and recordings during meetings, enhancing confidentiality. Enabled by organizers via Meeting Options, it restricts capture differently across platforms, is off by default, and requires manual activation per meeting. Rollout begins mid-September 2025.
Teams Rooms on Windows touch boards will support Microsoft Edge in private browsing mode, allowing secure web access during and outside meetings. This feature, off by default and requiring a Teams Rooms Pro license, rolls out from September to October 2025 and offers admin controls for session management and browser settings.
The web-based “Share to Teams” feature in Outlook will retire between September 22 and October 3, 2025. Users without the Teams desktop app will be prompted to install it, while those with the app continue sharing via Teams. No admin action is required, but user notification is recommended.
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Microsoft Teams will offer opt-in suggestions to hide inactive channels, allowing users to review and choose which channels to hide. Users can toggle this feature in Settings or manage channels manually. The rollout begins late August 2025, with no admin action required.
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Microsoft Teams now allows users to report messages they believe were incorrectly flagged as security concerns. This feature is available in one-on-one chats, group and meeting chats, as well as public and private channels.
Gain granular control over external communication. By setting custom External Access policies, you can define domain allow/deny lists and assign them to specific users or groups – capabilities that were previously tenant-wide only (“Teams and Skype for Business users in external organizations”). Use this to pilot with a department, restrict high‑risk roles to approved partners, or open federation broadly where appropriate. Example: Allow Group A to communicate only with a specific domain, while Group B can communicate with all external domains.
The rollout of line key configuration in Teams Admin Center for Teams phones is paused worldwide to address feedback and improve shared device license support. Admins should configure line keys directly on devices temporarily. Audit logging and reporting via TAC may be affected until the experience resumes.
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Copilot Chat will soon be available for Teams chats, channels, calling and meetings.
Admins get enhanced visibility into room usage from Pro Management portal reports with detailed occupancy data captured by Cloud IntelliFrame during meetings. This insight helps IT more effectively plan and optimize meeting spaces, and is currently available for Teams Rooms on Windows licensed with Teams Rooms Pro.
SharePoint agents are now available in the Microsoft Teams app store, allowing personalized intelligent interaction with SharePoint content within Teams. Rolling out worldwide in late August 2025, the feature is on by default, cannot be centrally managed, and enhances content discovery and collaboration.
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Microsoft Teams Rooms on Android can now join Town Halls in Teams as attendees. You can attend directly from the invited Teams Room, with the same features that attendees have for Town Halls on the Teams desktop app. Available in Teams Rooms Pro.
Microsoft Teams Rooms on Windows will support certified Universal Touch Consoles for Touchboards, providing a center-of-table console experience. The rollout starts late September 2025, enabling default, consistent controls on Touchboard setups. Admins should deploy certified devices and update the Teams Rooms app accordingly.
Listen to the latest updates
This month’s update is now also available as a podcast! If you prefer listening over reading, or want to catch up on the latest SharePoint developments while commuting or running, you can now tune in on Spotify and YouTube.
The podcast features AI hosts Maria and John, who dive into the same updates covered in this post but through a conversational format. John brings his technical analyst perspective with attention to detail, while Maria focuses on the strategic implications and user experience impact. As the prompt director, I guide the conversation to ensure we’re covering what matters most for your day-to-day work.
This is an experiment in making tech updates more accessible, so I’d love your feedback on this format. Give it a listen and let me know what you think!
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