check before: 2025-06-15
Product:
Microsoft 365 admin center, Teams
Platform:
Android, iOS, Mac, Online, US Instances, Web, Windows Desktop, World tenant
Status:
Feature Rollout Status Not Supported
Change type:
Admin impact, Feature update, Updated message, User impact
Links:
Details:
Summary:
Microsoft Teams will soon allow meeting organizers to send one-way messages to attendees in the meeting lobby using Lobby chat. This feature will be on by default and can be disabled by admins in the Teams admin center. Rollout begins mid-June 2025 and completes by mid-July 2025.
Details:
Updated June 12, 2025: We have updated the timeline below. Thank you for your patience.
Coming soon for Microsoft Teams: Meeting organizers will be able to send one-way messages to attendees in the meeting lobby using the Lobby chat. The Lobby chat is intended to optimize the lobby experience for all participants, ensuring that organizers are better equipped to run external meetings and external attendees are well informed about the meeting when it begins. This feature is on by default and admins can choose to disable it in the Teams admin center (TAC).
This message applies to Teams on Desktop, Mac, Web
iOS and Android will be released shortly
This message is associated with Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 480716.
[When this will happen:]
Targeted Release: We will begin rolling out mid-June 2025 and expect to complete by late June 2025.
General Availability (Worldwide, GCC, GCC High, DoD): We will begin rolling out late June 2025 and expect to complete by mid-July 2025.
Change Category:
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Scope:
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Release Phase:
Created:
2025-05-08
updated:
2025-06-13
Task Type
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Docu to Check
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MS How does it affect me
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MS Preperations
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linked item details
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summary for non-techies**
Microsoft Teams is introducing a Lobby chat feature, allowing meeting organizers to send one-way messages to attendees in the meeting lobby, with a rollout for desktop, Mac, and web users between mid-June and mid-July 2025, and mobile users shortly after.
Direct effects for Operations**
User Confusion
Users may be confused about the new Lobby chat feature, leading to misunderstandings about its purpose and functionality.
- roles: Meeting Organizers, Attendees
- references: https://www.microsoft.com/microsoft-365/roadmap?filters=&searchterms=480716
Increased Support Requests
The introduction of the Lobby chat feature may lead to an increase in support requests from users who are unfamiliar with the new functionality.
- roles: IT Support Staff, Meeting Organizers
- references: https://www.microsoft.com/microsoft-365/roadmap?filters=&searchterms=480716
Disruption in Meeting Flow
If not properly communicated, the new feature may disrupt the flow of meetings as attendees may be distracted by messages in the lobby.
- roles: Meeting Organizers, Attendees
- references: https://www.microsoft.com/microsoft-365/roadmap?filters=&searchterms=480716
Policy Misalignment
Without proper preparation, existing meeting policies may conflict with the new Lobby chat feature, leading to potential issues in meeting management.
- roles: IT Administrators, Meeting Organizers
- references: https://www.microsoft.com/microsoft-365/roadmap?filters=&searchterms=480716
User Experience Degradation
If the feature is enabled without user training, it may lead to a negative user experience due to lack of understanding of how to interact with the Lobby chat.
- roles: Attendees, Meeting Organizers
- references: https://www.microsoft.com/microsoft-365/roadmap?filters=&searchterms=480716
Configutation Options**
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Opportunities**
Enhanced Communication with External Participants
The Lobby chat feature allows meeting organizers to send messages to attendees in the lobby, improving communication and ensuring external participants are informed before the meeting starts. This can enhance user experience by providing necessary information, reducing confusion, and setting expectations for the meeting.
- next-steps: Train meeting organizers on how to effectively use the Lobby chat feature to communicate with attendees. Consider creating guidelines for the type of information that should be communicated in the lobby chat to maximize its effectiveness.
- roles: Meeting Organizers, Project Managers, Customer Relations Managers
- references: https://www.microsoft.com/microsoft-365/roadmap?filters=&searchterms=480716
Improved Meeting Management
By utilizing the Lobby chat, meeting organizers can manage the meeting flow more effectively. They can inform participants about delays, agenda changes, or any other relevant information before the meeting begins, leading to a more organized and productive meeting environment.
- next-steps: Encourage the adoption of the Lobby chat feature among all meeting organizers and provide them with best practices for managing meetings using this tool. Evaluate feedback from users to refine the approach.
- roles: Team Leaders, HR Managers, Event Coordinators
- references: https://www.microsoft.com/microsoft-365/roadmap?filters=&searchterms=480716
Streamlined Onboarding for New Users
The Lobby chat can serve as a tool for onboarding new users to the organization. Meeting organizers can use this feature to provide new attendees with information about the meeting structure, expectations, and any preliminary materials they should review before joining.
- next-steps: Develop a training module that incorporates the use of Lobby chat for onboarding new users. Include examples of effective communication strategies that can be used in the lobby chat.
- roles: HR Trainers, Onboarding Specialists, IT Support Staff
- references: https://www.microsoft.com/microsoft-365/roadmap?filters=&searchterms=480716
Potentional Risks**
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IT Security**
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explanation for non-techies**
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change history
| Date | Property | old | new |
| 2025-06-13 | MC Messages | Updated May 30, 2025: We have updated the timeline below. Thank you for your patience.
Coming soon for Microsoft Teams: Meeting organizers will be able to send one-way messages to attendees in the meeting lobby using the Lobby chat. The Lobby chat is intended to optimize the lobby experience for all participants, ensuring that organizers are better equipped to run external meetings and external attendees are well informed about the meeting when it begins. This feature is on by default and admins can choose to disable it in the Teams admin center (TAC). This message applies to Teams on Windows desktop, Teams on Mac desktop, and Teams for iOS/Android. This message is associated with Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 480716. [When this will happen:] Targeted Release: We will begin rolling out mid-June 2025 and expect to complete by late June 2025. General Availability (Worldwide, GCC, GCC High, DoD): We will begin rolling out late June 2025 and expect to complete by mid-July 2025. | Updated June 12, 2025: We have updated the timeline below. Thank you for your patience.
Coming soon for Microsoft Teams: Meeting organizers will be able to send one-way messages to attendees in the meeting lobby using the Lobby chat. The Lobby chat is intended to optimize the lobby experience for all participants, ensuring that organizers are better equipped to run external meetings and external attendees are well informed about the meeting when it begins. This feature is on by default and admins can choose to disable it in the Teams admin center (TAC). This message applies to Teams on Desktop, Mac, Web iOS and Android will be released shortly This message is associated with Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 480716. [When this will happen:] Targeted Release: We will begin rolling out mid-June 2025 and expect to complete by late June 2025. General Availability (Worldwide, GCC, GCC High, DoD): We will begin rolling out late June 2025 and expect to complete by mid-July 2025. |
| 2025-06-13 | MC How Affect | Admin controls: After this rollout, the policy for Lobby chat will be on by default in the TAC. Admins can enable or disable Lobby chat with a meeting policy in the TAC. Under Meeting policies > Global (Org-wide default) > Meeting engagement, admins will find a new toggle option for Organizers can chat with lobby participant. When the option is enabled, participants who can't bypass the lobby due to meeting policy will be able to view messages sent by the organizer in a Lobby chat. To enable this policy, Meeting chat in the TAC must be set to On for everyone or On for everyone but anonymous users.
Meeting organizer experience: When someone joins the lobby, the meeting organizer will see a new Lobby tab in their Chat experience (meeting chat, one-on-one chat, or group chats). The meeting organizer will be able to send one-way messages to attendees in the lobby in the Lobby tab: Lobby attendee experience: When the meeting organizer sends a message to the lobby, a new Lobby chat panel will open in the right panel of the pre-join screen and display the message. Lobby attendees cannot reply to these messages | Admin controls: After this rollout, the policy for Lobby chat will be on by default in the TAC. Admins can enable or disable Lobby chat with a meeting policy in the TAC. Under Meeting policies > Global (Org-wide default) > Meeting engagement, admins will find a new toggle option for Organizers can chat with lobby participant. When the option is enabled, participants who can't bypass the lobby due to meeting policy will be able to view messages sent by the organizer in a Lobby chat. To enable this policy, Meeting chat in the TAC must be set to On for everyone or On for everyone but anonymous users.
Meeting organizer experience: When someone joins the lobby, the meeting organizer will see a new Lobby tab in their Chat experience. The meeting organizer will be able to send one-way messages to attendees in the lobby in the Lobby tab: Lobby attendee experience: When the meeting organizer sends a message to the lobby, a new Lobby chat panel will open in the right panel of the pre-join screen and display the message. Lobby attendees cannot reply to these messages |
| 2025-06-13 | MC Last Updated | 05/30/2025 17:24:19 | 2025-06-12T16:10:06Z |
| 2025-06-13 | MC Summary | Microsoft Teams will soon allow meeting organizers to send one-way messages to attendees in the meeting lobby via Lobby chat. This feature, rolling out mid-June to mid-July 2025, is on by default but can be disabled by admins. It applies to Teams on Windows, Mac, and iOS/Android. | Microsoft Teams will soon allow meeting organizers to send one-way messages to attendees in the meeting lobby using Lobby chat. This feature will be on by default and can be disabled by admins in the Teams admin center. Rollout begins mid-June 2025 and completes by mid-July 2025. |
| 2025-05-31 | MC MessageTagNames | Feature update, User impact, Admin impact | Updated message, Feature update, User impact, Admin impact |
| 2025-05-31 | MC Summary | Microsoft Teams will introduce Lobby chat, allowing meeting organizers and co-organizers to send one-way messages to attendees in the meeting lobby. This feature will be on by default and can be managed in the Teams admin center. Rollout begins mid-June 2025 for targeted release and late June 2025 for general availability. | Microsoft Teams will soon allow meeting organizers to send one-way messages to attendees in the meeting lobby via Lobby chat. This feature, rolling out mid-June to mid-July 2025, is on by default but can be disabled by admins. It applies to Teams on Windows, Mac, and iOS/Android. |
| 2025-05-31 | MC Last Updated | 05/08/2025 01:43:13 | 2025-05-30T17:24:19Z |
| 2025-05-31 | MC Messages | Coming soon for Microsoft Teams: Meeting organizers and co-organizers will be able to send one-way messages to attendees in the meeting lobby using the Lobby chat. The Lobby chat is intended to optimize the lobby experience for all participants, ensuring that organizers are better equipped to run external meetings and external attendees are well informed about the meeting when it begins. This feature is on by default and admins can choose to disable it in the Teams admin center (TAC).
This message applies to Teams on Windows desktop, Teams on Mac desktop, and Teams for iOS/Android. This message is associated with Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 480716. [When this will happen:] Targeted Release: We will begin rolling out mid-June 2025 and expect to complete by late June 2025. General Availability (Worldwide, GCC, GCC High, DoD): We will begin rolling out late June 2025 and expect to complete by mid-July 2025. | Updated May 30, 2025: We have updated the timeline below. Thank you for your patience.
Coming soon for Microsoft Teams: Meeting organizers will be able to send one-way messages to attendees in the meeting lobby using the Lobby chat. The Lobby chat is intended to optimize the lobby experience for all participants, ensuring that organizers are better equipped to run external meetings and external attendees are well informed about the meeting when it begins. This feature is on by default and admins can choose to disable it in the Teams admin center (TAC). This message applies to Teams on Windows desktop, Teams on Mac desktop, and Teams for iOS/Android. This message is associated with Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 480716. [When this will happen:] Targeted Release: We will begin rolling out mid-June 2025 and expect to complete by late June 2025. General Availability (Worldwide, GCC, GCC High, DoD): We will begin rolling out late June 2025 and expect to complete by mid-July 2025. |
| 2025-05-31 | MC Title | Microsoft Teams: Send messages to attendees in the meeting lobby with Lobby chat | (Updated) Microsoft Teams: Send messages to attendees in the meeting lobby with Lobby chat |
| 2025-05-31 | MC How Affect | Admin controls: After this rollout, the policy for Lobby chat will be on by default in the TAC. Admins can enable or disable Lobby chat with a meeting policy in the TAC. Under Meeting policies > Global (Org-wide default) > Meeting engagement, admins will find a new toggle option for Organizers can chat with lobby participant. When the option is enabled, participants who can't bypass the lobby due to meeting policy will be able to view messages sent by the organizer in a Lobby chat. To enable this policy, Meeting chat in the TAC must be set to On for everyone or On for everyone but anonymous users.
Meeting organizer/co-organizer experience: When someone joins the lobby, the meeting organizer/co-organizer will see a new Lobby tab in their Chat experience (meeting chat, one-on-one chat, or group chats). The meeting organizer/co-organizer will be able to send one-way messages to attendees in the lobby in the Lobby tab: Lobby attendee experience: When the meeting organizer/co-organizer sends a message to the lobby, a new Lobby chat panel will open in the right panel of the pre-join screen and display the message. Lobby attendees cannot reply to these messages | Admin controls: After this rollout, the policy for Lobby chat will be on by default in the TAC. Admins can enable or disable Lobby chat with a meeting policy in the TAC. Under Meeting policies > Global (Org-wide default) > Meeting engagement, admins will find a new toggle option for Organizers can chat with lobby participant. When the option is enabled, participants who can't bypass the lobby due to meeting policy will be able to view messages sent by the organizer in a Lobby chat. To enable this policy, Meeting chat in the TAC must be set to On for everyone or On for everyone but anonymous users.
Meeting organizer experience: When someone joins the lobby, the meeting organizer will see a new Lobby tab in their Chat experience (meeting chat, one-on-one chat, or group chats). The meeting organizer will be able to send one-way messages to attendees in the lobby in the Lobby tab: Lobby attendee experience: When the meeting organizer sends a message to the lobby, a new Lobby chat panel will open in the right panel of the pre-join screen and display the message. Lobby attendees cannot reply to these messages |
Last updated 3 days ago
