Microsoft 365 Message Center and Roadmap items M365 product owners, service owners and IT administrators should know about in July 2025
This month brings a mix of critical deadlines and exciting innovations that will reshape how organisations work with Microsoft's ecosystem. From authentication requirements that demand immediate attention to accessibility breakthroughs that make collaboration more inclusive, these updates deserve your attention.
Three significant developments stand out in our monthly roundup: Android-based Teams devices face mandatory authentication changes with a non-negotiable December 31, 2025 deadline, Microsoft Lists mobile apps are being retired before year-end, and Microsoft 365 Copilot gains real-time voice capabilities that promise to transform how we interact with AI assistance.
Meanwhile, the state of Microsoft Teams continues to evolve with meaningful improvements to the meeting experience. New sign language interpretation features are breaking down communication barriers, while practical additions like countdown timers help keep meetings focused and productive. These changes demonstrate Microsoft's commitment to both security modernisation and inclusive workplace technology.
Microsoft is implementing enhanced authentication for Android-based Teams devices, transitioning from legacy authentication methods to modern Microsoft Entra ID-based tokens. This change affects Teams Phone devices, Teams Panels, Teams Displays, and Teams Rooms on Android (MTRA).
Organisations must update all Teams Android devices by December 31, 2025 to avoid service disruption.
Microsoft will retire the standalone Microsoft Lists mobile applications for iOS and Android, directing users to the enhanced mobile browser experience. The mobile browser version offers more functionality than the retiring apps and will continue receiving feature updates.
Users should access Lists via the SharePoint root site and navigate to Lists through the app launcher. The mobile browser experience is optimised for mobile devices and provides feature parity with desktop versions.
No administrative action required - the change occurs automatically. Organisations should focus on user communication and updating internal documentation to reflect the new access method.
Microsoft 365 Copilot on iOS now supports voice chat functionality, enabling hands-free interaction with Copilot for brainstorming, topic exploration, and web searches. Users can interrupt or redirect conversations in real-time, creating a natural conversational experience.
The feature will begin rolling out in early July 2025, with general availability expected by early September 2025.
This enhancement eliminates the need for typing, improves accessibility for users who prefer voice interaction, and enables hands-free productivity while mobile or multitasking.
Organisations enabling SharePoint and OneDrive integration with Microsoft Entra B2B face an immediate impact on external sharing capabilities. All previously shared links using One-Time Passcode (OTP) authentication are invalidated, requiring external users to be re-invited through the new Entra B2B system.
External users attempting to access content shared before the integration see "This organisation has updated its guest access settings" errors and lose access to all previously shared content.
All content previously shared with external users must be reshared to restore access. External users will need to complete multi-factor authentication registration as part of the new Entra B2B system.
Organisations should prioritise user communication about this change and prepare for increased helpdesk requests. While the security enhancement through Entra B2B integration is beneficial long-term, the immediate disruption requires proactive management.
Microsoft Teams is introducing Sign Language Mode to enhance meeting experiences for Deaf and hard-of-hearing participants. The feature addresses visibility challenges by providing visual distinction for interpreters and elevating sign language users to active speaker status.
Any meeting participant can now add visual countdown timers up to 100 minutes duration directly in Microsoft Teams meetings. The timer appears for all participants with full control features, including start, pause, stop, reset, and cancel functionality. This feature is currently rolling out to Teams desktop clients (Windows and Mac) with mobile and web support expected to follow soon.
No additional licensing is required, and one key benefit is that this feature will remove the need for third-party timer applications.
Microsoft Teams is introducing a compact notification option, which will reduce the screen real estate used by pop-up notifications, providing a cleaner, more minimalist design for notifications with customisable sizing, enabling users to personalise their experience.
497417 - M365 Copilot billing and usage
Microsoft is introducing comprehensive billing policies and budget controls for Copilot Pay-as-you-go services.
Key capabilities include:
As Copilot adoption increases across enterprises, the need for granular cost management is becoming more of a priority, so this update will help organisations to manage this better.
The Viva Engage admin center will soon provide direct management of GDPR data subject requests through a modernised interface. The feature will centralise compliance actions and reduce reliance on the legacy Yammer admin center.
Benefits include:
Microsoft Teams is introducing a single workflow for metadata management, replacing the previous 'Reporting Labels' system.
This unified approach replaces fragmented legacy systems with a streamlined administrative experience, aiming to enrich calling and meeting reports with location and infrastructure information.
The July 2025 updates demonstrate Microsoft's continued focus on security enhancement, accessibility improvement, and administrative efficiency. Organisations should prioritise the authentication updates for Teams Android devices and SharePoint B2B integration changes due to their potential for service disruption.
The December 31, 2025 deadline for Teams Android device authentication provides sufficient time for planning, but requires systematic tracking of device updates across the organisation. Similarly, the immediate impact of SharePoint B2B integration changes necessitates proactive user communication and support for resharing workflows.
Successfully managing these changes requires systematic monitoring of both Message Center notifications and Roadmap updates.
Organisations should establish regular review cycles, create impact assessments for notifications, and maintain robust processes to evaluate and implement changes from both communication channels.
With the constant stream of Microsoft 365 updates, having automated processes and specialised tools becomes essential for maintaining operational excellence while embracing the productivity and security benefits of an evergreen platform.
ChangePilot provides comprehensive change management capabilities specifically designed for Microsoft 365 Message Center and Microsoft 365 Roadmap tracking. Our platform automatically monitors Microsoft 365 Message Center notifications and Microsoft 365 Roadmap updates, providing impact assessments and deployment planning to help your organisation stay ahead of changes.
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