If you’ve been using your Elgato Stream Deck to control Microsoft Teams, there’s an important change coming: starting December 2025, the official integration will stop working. This is confirmed in the Elgato Marketplace, and it’s happening because Microsoft is removing the third-party API that powers these features.
So… Microsoft decided to kill the third-party API integration for Teams. Yep, the same API that made your Logitech MX Creative Console super handy for reactions and quick actions. This change is rolling out in December 2025, and if you’ve been using the console for Teams, you’re probably thinking: “Great… now what?”
Don’t panic. Your investment in that shiny console isn’t wasted. You can still make it work with Teams — just in a slightly different way.
October brought important updates for Viva Engage, some features are being retired, while others make the experience more integrated than ever. Desktop notifications and access to non-native Viva Engage networks are being retired.
On the positive side, one improvement I’m excited about is the ability to access your Engage communities directly from the chat area in Microsoft Teams. This is a great step toward unifying communication and collaboration inside Microsoft 365, making it easier to stay connected without switching contexts.
And that’s just the beginning—there’s more in the full article for those interested in how Viva is evolving to simplify engagement and bring communities closer to where work happens.
Ocotber was packed with updates across every corner of the platform. My top highlight is the new image search capability: now you can search for images by message content, people, or where they were shared. Results appear as you type, with filters and a dedicated Images tab for quick exploration—all from the search bar.
Another big step forward is Teams Channels in Context IQ prompts, making suggestions smarter and more connected. And the feature I welcome with open arms, finally, Apps in Private Channels. I’ve never understood why this wasn’t possible from day one, so this change is long overdue.
Beyond these, there’s much more to discover in the full article—whether you’re interested in new features for devices, meetings, or chats, Microsoft is updating Teams on all fronts.
September brings the smallest batch of Microsoft Viva updates since I started this monthly roundup, but don’t let the size fool you—there are still some valuable enhancements worth noting. Even in a quieter month, Microsoft continues to refine the Viva experience with features that make workplace engagement and information access smarter.
The highlights this time include a new AI-powered audio briefing in Viva Connections mobile, delivering quick summaries of top news with playback controls, and AI agents in Viva Engage communities, now in Public Preview, that draft answers using community content and SharePoint grounding for improved accuracy. These updates may be fewer, but they show how AI is steadily becoming part of the Viva ecosystem.
September kept the same fast pace we saw during the summer, delivering a mix of AI-driven features and subtle UI improvements that aim to make collaboration smoother and more productive. Microsoft continues to invest heavily in Copilot-powered experiences, and this month’s updates show how AI is becoming an integral part of everyday teamwork.
The biggest highlights include the introduction of Channel Agent , an AI assistant that brings intelligence to Teams channels, and the Facilitator Agent, now generally available to enhance meeting experiences. Alongside these, a small but impactful UI tweak makes it easier to track forwarded messages and maintain context in conversations. These updates may seem different in scale, but together they reflect Microsoft’s focus on simplifying workflows and helping teams stay aligned.
Let’s be honest, if you don’t let users share files directly in Teams with external contacts, they’ll find a way. And it won’t be pretty. You’ll see files flying around on random cloud drives, personal emails, or even WhatsApp. That’s a security nightmare.
When you enable file attachments in teams chats with external users, you keep everything inside the Microsoft 365 ecosystem. Files are stored in OneDrive, permissions are managed, and you can audit who shared what and when. No more “God knows where” links or files that disappear into the wild. It’s just safer, easier, and makes life simpler for users and admins.
September is when routines kick back in. While many people were out enjoying the summer, Teams kept shipping updates that can make the day-to-day a bit easier. This is a quick catch‑up you can skim now and come back to later. For each feature below you’ll see what it is and why it matters in real work.
The August updates for Microsoft Viva were focused on the communications apps. Viva Connections, Viva Amplify, and Viva Engage all received interesting improvements, but here are the ones that stood out for me.
First, Viva Connections is making it easier to keep up with SharePoint news, it will send weekly Microsoft Teams notifications reminding users of unread SharePoint news from the past week. These notifications link directly to the Unread tab in Viva Connections and are enabled by default, though they can be managed in Teams settings.
Another highlight is AI‑generated audio briefings for SharePoint news in Viva Connections. This feature requires a Microsoft 365 Copilot license and offers hands‑free playback.
There’s more to explore this month, so keep reading to see all the updates and how they can help you improve communication and engagement across your organization.
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.
I've been working with Microsoft Technologies over the last ten years, mainly focused on creating collaboration and productivity solutions that drive the adoption of Microsoft Modern Workplace.
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