Microsoft Message ID

Summary

• Microsoft has announced the retirement of the “Custom greetings” feature for voice call authentication within Microsoft Entra ID (formerly Azure AD).
• The retirement is scheduled for February 28, 2026.
• Once this feature is retired, all multifactor authentication (MFA) voice calls will revert to using Microsoft’s standard, default voice recordings instead of organization-specific audio files.

Impact

• User Experience: Users who are accustomed to hearing a company-specific greeting or localized instructions during their MFA verification calls will now hear the generic Microsoft system recording.
• Branding: Organizations that utilize custom greetings for corporate branding or to provide a sense of security/familiarity to employees will lose this customization capability.
• Training and Documentation: Any internal screenshots, videos, or help desk scripts that reference a specific custom greeting will become outdated.
• No Service Interruption: The core MFA voice call functionality will continue to work; only the audio content of the greeting is being changed.

Action Required

• Audit Current Settings: Check the Microsoft Entra admin center under Authentication Methods to confirm if your organization currently utilizes custom greetings for MFA.
• Internal Communications: Update your end-user documentation and FAQ pages to reflect that the MFA voice call experience will transition to a standard Microsoft recording by February 2026.
• Help Desk Readiness: Inform your IT support and Help Desk teams about this change to ensure they can answer user inquiries regarding the change in the voice greeting, preventing potential “phishing” concerns.
• Review MFA Strategy: Consider evaluating other MFA methods, such as the Microsoft Authenticator app (Push Notifications) or FIDO2 security keys, which provide a more secure and modern user experience than voice-based authentication.