Find out what's new and what's coming in this month's Microsoft Message Center and Roadmap update from ChangePilot.
What's New in Microsoft 365 Message Center in September 2025
September 2025 marks a pivotal moment for Microsoft 365 as OpenAI's groundbreaking GPT-5 is unleashed across enterprise environments while introducing game-changing security features that let legal teams access previously restricted content. From AI-powered workspace management that eliminates PowerShell complexity to meeting protection that turns screens black when users attempt unauthorised captures, these Message Center announcements don't just represent incremental updates—they're reshaping how organisations work, secure data, and harness artificial intelligence.
MC1122163 - Microsoft Places Management web portal
A new portal for managing Microsoft Places is coming, replacing complex PowerShell scripts with a centralised, user-friendly interface for managing buildings, floors, rooms, and desks.
The portal provides hierarchical views, advanced filtering, and role-based editing capabilities.
Key Features: Microsoft Places Management web portal
- Visual management of the complete workplace hierarchy
- Hierarchical list views with smart filtering by location
- Role-based permissions for targeted administrative access
- Direct integration with Teams Premium licensing requirements
- Automatic synchronisation with existing PowerSShell-configured objects
Users will need Places Administrator roles, Exchange Online admin permissions or Global Administrator access, and Teams Premium licensing is required for full functionality of the portal.
MC1133507 - New Admin Policy for Harmful Content Access in M365 Copilot
A new policy setting in Microsoft 365 Copilot will allow administrators to control user interaction with harmful content in Copilot Chat.
This feature is designed for roles that may need exposure to sensitive content, like legal or compliance teams, while keeping organisational safeguards. Assigned users will have the option to disable harmful content protection for individual conversations in Copilot Chat.
Key Features: New Admin Policy for Harmful Content Access in M365 Copilot
- Off by default
- Requires explicit assignment to specific users in the Microsoft 365 admin center
- Per-conversation opt-in/opt-out functionality
- Complete audit trail for compliance monitoring
- Rolling out early September 2025
MC1130809 - GPT-5 - Available in Microsoft 365 Copilot
OpenAI's most advanced AI system is now in Copilot Chat for users with a Microsoft 365 Copilot license, enhancing response capabilities for various tasks.
Key Features: GPT-5 Available in Microsoft 365 Copilot
- Copilot Chat users will find a "Try GPT-5" toggle to opt into enhanced capabilities during conversations
- Copilot Studio users gain additional options for selecting AI models in agent settings
- No admin action is required
MC1138236 - Change to Message Center Planner Sync Behaviour for 'Action By:' Date Field
Microsoft is making a change to how Message Center syncs with Planner - the ‘action by’ date field will no longer automatically populate the due date in Microsoft Planner.
This means the Message Center ‘action by’ date will no longer override the due date manually entered; however, no dates will be automatically set, meaning the burden on IT administrators increases.
MC1140178 - Prevent Screen Capture (Premium)
Teams Premium is introducing advanced meeting protection through screen capture blocking.
Meeting organisers will be able to prevent screenshots and recordings during Teams meetings, protect sensitive content through native platform integrations and third-party application blocking.
Protection capabilities:
- Native device screenshot blocking (Windows, macOS, iOS, Android)
- Third-party application screen capture prevention
- Meeting window blackout during capture attempts
- Organiser and co-organiser control through Meeting Options
What's New in the Microsoft 365 Roadmap in September 2025
500873 - eSignature Smart Tagging
Documents that have been electronically signed will now be automatically recognised and tagged as “Signed” upon upload to SharePoint. This enhancement also applies retroactively as existing e-signed files will be updated with the appropriate tags.
To give users more visibility and control, there will be two optional metadata columns for document libraries:
- Electronically Signed – Indicates whether a document has been eSigned
- Signature Provider – Displays the service used for the eSignature
500696 - Organisation Chart in Profile Cards
Dynamics organisational charts are coming to Teams' user profile cards, providing contextual relationship mapping for improved collaboration.
Users will be able to quickly understand organisational relationships, identify appropriate contacts, and navigate organisational structures during meetings and chat conversations.
500379 - AI Workflows in Teams
With AI Workflows in the Workflows app, users 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 organised throughout the day.
Admins can enable this feature to equip users with intelligent automation tools that make managing work more efficient and intuitive.
498899 - Enhanced Intune RBAC Controls
Microsoft Intune is introducing granular role-based access controls for endpoint security workloads, enabling precise administrative permissions.
500635 - Dynamic Video Tile Resizing
Teams introduces intelligent video layout optimisation based on room occupancy detection from Teams Rooms on Android devices. 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.
Why You Should Monitor Microsoft 365 Message Center and Microsoft 365 Roadmap Updates
Organisations actively monitoring the Microsoft Message Center gain competitive advantages through early adoption of transformative AI capabilities while implementing enhanced security and administrative controls. Success requires balanced attention to revolutionary Microsoft Message Center AI announcements while systematically implementing security and productivity enhancements.
Optimise Your Microsoft 365 Evergreen Change Management Process
Managing the constant stream of M365 Message Center and Roadmap updates can overwhelm even the most experienced IT teams. Each change and update notification requires impact assessment, stakeholder communication, and implementation planning, meaning organisations need more than just awareness—they need actionable intelligence.
ChangePilot transforms Microsoft 365 change management from reactive chaos into proactive strategy.
- Summarise every Message Center item into five bullets or less
- Extract deployment dates
- Scores for both administrative and user impact
- Operational workflow for managing Microsoft 365 evergreen change
- MVP-led monthly change calls
- Tenant-specific data monitoring
- Interactive dashboards visualising the scale and pace of change across your M365 environment
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