check before: 2025-06-01
Product:
Microsoft 365 admin center, Teams
Platform:
Android, iOS, Mac, Online, US Instances, Web, Windows Desktop, World tenant
Status:
Rolling out
Change type:
New feature, User impact, Admin impact
Links:
Details:
Summary:
Microsoft Teams is introducing a bilateral chat policy to restrict external group chats to a maximum of two organizations. This policy, rolling out in June 2025, applies to all Teams platforms and will be configurable by admins. It does not affect meetings, meeting chats, or channels.
Details:
Bilateral chat policy is a new type of policy for restricting external group chats in Microsoft Teams to maximum of two organizations. This policy will be available for admins to set up and apply to users and groups where external access policies are already set up. After the policy is enabled, automatically enforced compliance controls will prohibit users from creating or adding users from more than two organizations to external group chats.
This message applies to Teams for Windows desktop, Teams for Mac desktop, Teams on the web, and Teams for iOS/Android.
This message is associated with Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 490566.
[When this will happen:]
General Availability (Worldwide, GCC, GCC High, DoD): We will begin rolling out early June 2025 and expect to complete by late June 2025.
Change Category:
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Scope:
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Release Phase:
General Availability
Created:
2025-05-23
updated:
2025-05-23
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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MS Urgency
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MS workload name
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linked item details
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summary for non-techies**
Microsoft Teams is introducing a bilateral chat policy in June 2025, limiting external group chats to two organizations, which administrators can configure via the Teams admin center or Microsoft PowerShell, without affecting meetings, meeting chats, or channels.
Direct effects for Operations**
Restriction on External Collaboration
Users will be unable to create or participate in external group chats with more than two organizations, potentially limiting collaboration opportunities and causing frustration among users who rely on broader external communication.
- roles: End Users, Team Leaders
- references: https://learn.microsoft.com/microsoftteams/bilateral-chat-enforcement, https://www.microsoft.com/microsoft-365/roadmap?filters=&searchterms=490566
User Experience Disruption
Existing external group chats with more than two organizations will be disrupted as users will be removed from these chats, leading to confusion and potential loss of important communication threads.
- roles: End Users, Project Managers
- references: https://learn.microsoft.com/microsoftteams/bilateral-chat-enforcement, https://www.microsoft.com/microsoft-365/roadmap?filters=&searchterms=490566
Increased Administrative Burden
Admins will need to manage and communicate the new policy effectively, which may require additional training and updates to documentation, increasing their workload and potentially leading to miscommunication.
- roles: IT Administrators, Compliance Officers
- references: https://learn.microsoft.com/microsoftteams/bilateral-chat-enforcement, https://www.microsoft.com/microsoft-365/roadmap?filters=&searchterms=490566
Configutation Options**
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Opportunities**
Enhanced Compliance and Security Management
The introduction of a bilateral chat policy allows organizations to better manage compliance and security risks associated with external communications. By limiting external group chats to a maximum of two organizations, the risk of data leakage or unauthorized information sharing is significantly reduced. This is particularly beneficial for compliance officers and security teams who are tasked with safeguarding sensitive information.
- next-steps: Review current external access policies and identify potential risks in existing external group chats. Communicate the upcoming changes to relevant stakeholders and update compliance documentation accordingly.
- roles: Compliance Officer, Security Manager, IT Administrator
- references: https://learn.microsoft.com/microsoftteams/bilateral-chat-enforcement, https://www.microsoft.com/microsoft-365/roadmap?filters=&searchterms=490566
Streamlined User Management
The new policy simplifies user management by providing a clear framework for external group chats. IT administrators can easily enforce this policy, reducing the complexity of managing multiple external communication channels. This streamlining can lead to more efficient IT operations and reduced administrative overhead.
- next-steps: Train IT staff on the new policy and its implications for user management. Develop a plan for monitoring compliance with the new policy and for addressing any issues that arise during implementation.
- roles: IT Administrator, Operations Manager, HR Manager
- references: https://learn.microsoft.com/microsoftteams/bilateral-chat-enforcement, https://www.microsoft.com/microsoft-365/roadmap?filters=&searchterms=490566
Improved User Experience in External Collaboration
With the restriction of external group chats to a maximum of two organizations, users will have a more focused and manageable collaboration experience. This can lead to improved communication efficiency and better relationships with external partners, which is beneficial for project managers and team leads who rely on external collaboration.
- next-steps: Gather feedback from users on their current experiences with external group chats. Prepare training materials to help users adapt to the new policy and maximize their collaboration efforts with external partners.
- roles: Project Manager, Team Lead, User Experience Designer
- references: https://learn.microsoft.com/microsoftteams/bilateral-chat-enforcement, https://www.microsoft.com/microsoft-365/roadmap?filters=&searchterms=490566
Potentional Risks**
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Data Protection**
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IT Security**
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Hypothetical Work Council Statement**
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DPIA Draft**
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explanation for non-techies**
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** AI generated content. This information must be reviewed before use.
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