What’s new for Microsoft Viva – January 2026

I’ve been saying for a while that the hype around the Employee Experience suite has been fading a bit, mostly because Copilot announcements have completely taken over the spotlight. But even with all the noise around AI, some of the Viva apps are still getting important updates, and in many cases, they’re actually tied to Copilot or new AI capabilities.

My highlights this month go straight to Viva Engage. The first one is theme moderation, which will automatically block posts, comments, and replies based on monitored themes. AI handles the detection, and there’s nothing you need to enable ahead of rollout, though admins should definitely review the monitored themes and make sure everything aligns with their governance standards.

The second big change is the unification of Microsoft communication platforms. Viva Engage communities are being integrated directly into Microsoft Teams, bringing asynchronous conversations and leadership engagement into the same space where people already work.

There were more updates across the rest of the Employee Experience apps, and you can find all of those in the details of this post.

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By João Ferreira Feb 1, 2026 What's New 0 Comments

What’s new for Microsoft Teams – January 2026

I’ve been highlighting the importance of user personalization in these monthly Teams roundups for a long time, not just because it improves the experience for each of us, but because it genuinely helps with adoption. And this month, I want to bring your attention to two new features that fit perfectly into that category.

The first one is branded reactions in meetings. Admins can now replace the default five reactions with custom ones that match the organization’s brand. It’s a small change, but these details help companies create a more consistent and recognizable experience across Teams. The second one is something many of us have been waiting for: choosing what the Enter key does. Who hasn’t sent an incomplete message by mistake? Now you can finally decide if Enter sends or simply adds a new line. And while we’re on this topic, the new quick draft area is also a great addition, it keeps your unsent content easy to find, edit, and send later, making those half-written ideas much more manageable.

My final highlight of the month is one I’m personally excited about: digital signage support on Microsoft Teams Rooms devices running Android. This one is special to me because Appspace is one of the partners available on day one, making the experience fully integrated from the start.

You’ll find all the details and everything else that landed in January in the full post.

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By João Ferreira Feb 1, 2026 What's New 0 Comments

What’s new for Microsoft Teams – December 2025

Every now and then, Microsoft introduces a set of small updates to Teams that end up making a big difference in how we work. December 2025 is no exception. This time, I’m highlighting three features that aren’t related to Copilot but still have the potential to improve productivity and create a stronger sense of connection within organizations.

The first update is a game-changer for Private Channels. For a long time, these channels were limited to chat-only interactions, but that’s about to change. Starting mid-January 2026, apps will be supported in Private Channels, enabling bots, tabs, and message extensions. This upgrade transforms Private Channels into true collaboration spaces, backed by new governance controls. Admins and developers should review policies and update apps to ensure compatibility with channel-level permissions and data compliance.

The second improvement addresses a long-standing pain point: forwarding messages. Until now, forwarding multiple messages meant doing it one by one. With the latest update, you can forward messages in batch, making conversations easier to share. And finally, customization gets a boost with branded reactions. Organizations can now upload custom reaction icons that reflect their brand or event themes, creating more cohesive and on-brand meeting experiences. A simple but powerful way to make meetings feel more connected.

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By João Ferreira Jan 2, 2026 What's New 0 Comments

What’s new for Microsoft Viva – November 2025

As we come to the end of the year, I’m seriously considering whether it’s worth continuing a separate roundup for Microsoft Viva. Updates have become fewer each month, and most of them are already covered in the other roundups I publish. Nonetheless, from the few announcements this month, here are my highlights.

First, Viva Amplify introduces a new publishing stack with improved error handling. This enhancement aims to make content publishing more reliable and efficient, reducing friction for communication teams and ensuring messages reach the right audience without unnecessary delays.

On the engagement side, Viva Engage received improvements to community feeds. These updates focus on making interactions smoother and more intuitive, helping communities stay active and connected with less effort. While small, these refinements contribute to a better overall experience for users who rely on Viva for collaboration and engagement.

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By João Ferreira Dec 8, 2025 Microsoft Viva, What's New 0 Comments

What’s new for Microsoft Teams – November 2025

November brought some exciting updates to Microsoft Teams, and I’ve been exploring what they mean for everyday collaboration. This month was all about making communication smoother, simplifying admin tasks, and improving the overall experience for users and IT teams alike. If you’ve been waiting for features that make Teams more flexible and connected, this roundup is for you.

One of the biggest highlights is the ability to chat with anyone using an email address. This change opens up new possibilities for external collaboration without the need for complex setups. Combined with simplified admin controls for managing external access, organizations now have more control and flexibility when working beyond their own tenant. These updates make cross-company communication easier while keeping security and governance in check.

Presence accuracy also got a boost with new activity detection settings for Teams on the web, ensuring your status reflects what you’re actually doing. On top of that, improvements to the activity feed and the accounts/orgs panel make it simpler to stay on top of notifications and switch between organizations. These refinements might seem small, but they add up to a more seamless experience for users juggling multiple contexts.

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By João Ferreira Dec 8, 2025 What's New 0 Comments

What’s new for Microsoft Viva – October 2025

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.

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By João Ferreira Nov 3, 2025 Microsoft Viva, What's New 0 Comments

What’s new for Microsoft Teams – October 2025

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.

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By João Ferreira Nov 3, 2025 What's New 0 Comments

What’s new for Microsoft Teams – September 2025

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.

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By João Ferreira Oct 1, 2025 What's New 0 Comments

Microsoft Teams Summer Updates You Shouldn’t Miss

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.

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By João Ferreira Sep 17, 2025 What's New 0 Comments

What’s new for Microsoft Viva – August 2025

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.

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By João Ferreira Sep 9, 2025 Microsoft Viva, What's New 0 Comments