💡 Our Technical Review in summary
Summary
- Microsoft is introducing a new notification feature for Viva Connections designed to increase engagement with SharePoint news articles.
- Users will receive a weekly digest notification via Microsoft Teams highlighting SharePoint news posts they have not yet read from the previous week.
- Roadmap ID: 498323.
- Status Update: As of September 26, 2025, Microsoft has postponed the rollout. A new timeline will be communicated in a future update.
Impact
- User Experience: Once active, users will see a weekly notification in their Teams activity feed. Clicking the notification directs them to the “Unread” filter within the News tab of the Viva Connections app.
- Default Configuration: This feature is enabled by default. Users will automatically begin receiving these notifications once the rollout commences.
- User Control: Individual users can opt-out or manage these specific notifications through their Microsoft Teams notification settings.
- Admin Control: There are no specific tenant-level admin toggles mentioned for this feature; it follows the standard Viva Connections deployment logic.
Action Required
- Monitoring: Admins should monitor the Message Center for a revised rollout date before communicating changes to the end-user base.
- User Education: Prepare to inform users about the upcoming weekly notifications and provide instructions on how to adjust Teams notification settings if they find the alerts intrusive.
- Documentation: Update internal help desk documentation to reflect the new “Unread” pill functionality within the Viva Connections News tab.
- Compliance: While no specific compliance risks were identified by Microsoft, organizations should review the news distribution workflow to ensure it aligns with internal communication policies.
Microsoft Official Update
Service: N/A
Category: stayInformed
Severity: normal
Updated September 26, 2025: After further review, this will roll out in a future date. We apologize for any inconvenience
Introduction
We’re introducing a new feature in Viva Connections that helps users stay informed with SharePoint news. Starting with this rollout, users will receive a weekly notification in Microsoft Teams reminding them to catch up on SharePoint news articles they haven’t read from the previous week. These articles will be accessible under the Unread pill in the News tab within Viva Connections.
This feature is associated with Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 498323.
When this will happen
We will communicate via Message center when we are ready to proceed.
How this affects your organization
Once rolled out, users will receive a weekly notification in Microsoft Teams linking them to their unread SharePoint news in Viva Connections. This notification is enabled by default, but users can manage its visibility through their Teams notification settings.
What you can do to prepare
- No admin action is required. The rollout is automatic.
- Admins may wish to inform users about the new notification and how to manage it in Teams settings.
Compliance considerations
No compliance considerations identified, review as appropriate for your organization.
