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Microsoft Teams August 2025 Update: 26 Features, Copilot Dictionaries, Premium Templates

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Microsoft Teams’ August update is a substantial one: Microsoft rolled out 26 new features across chat, meetings, Teams Phone, workplace Places, frontline scenarios, security tooling, and device certification — blending productivity tweaks, admin controls (notably for Copilot), and several Teams Premium capabilities aimed at hybrid and enterprise deployments. These changes include multiple emoji reactions, tenant-level custom dictionaries for Copilot in Teams, new personal meeting templates (Premium), expanded desk-booking controls in Places (Premium), and deeper Shifts integration with Teams call queues — all announced in Microsoft’s “What’s New in Microsoft Teams” roundup for August 28, 2025. (techcommunity.microsoft.com)

Open-plan office with a laptop and two large monitors displaying dashboards; a side screen shows a video call.Background / Overview​

Microsoft publishes a monthly “What’s New in Microsoft Teams” summary that aggregates feature rollouts, admin controls, and partner-device certifications. The August 2025 bulletin groups enhancements into core categories: Chat & Collaboration; Meetings, Webinars & Town Halls; Teams Phone; Workplace (Places & Teams Rooms); Fundamentals & Security; Frontline Worker Solutions; and Certified for Teams Devices. That categorization helps IT teams prioritize testing and rollout. The list balances small but meaningful UX improvements (keyboard shortcuts, saved message views) with heavier IT-facing changes (Copilot dictionaries, audit logs) and new Premium-only capabilities. (techcommunity.microsoft.com)
Several claims in the announcement are supported by Microsoft documentation and Message Center posts: for example, the multiple-emoji reactions rollout and guidance is documented in Microsoft’s Message Center, and the Copilot custom-dictionary capability is described in Microsoft Learn’s Teams Copilot documentation. These primary Microsoft sources form the foundation of this coverage. (west.jcteams.info, learn.microsoft.com)

Chat and collaboration: clarity, control, and expression​

Multiple emoji reactions — finally richer responses​

Teams now supports multiple emoji reactions on a single chat or channel message, showing reactions in popularity order while keeping each user’s own reactions visible. The implementation limits reactions per user to avoid clutter and uses a “more reactions” affordance when counts exceed the visible space. Microsoft rolled this out via Message Center notices in mid‑2025 with staggered timelines for commercial, GCC, and DoD tenants. This feature aligns Teams with long-standing behavior in collaborative apps and reduces the friction of choosing just one reaction in busy channels. (west.jcteams.info, techcommunity.microsoft.com)
Key operational notes:
  • Reactions are limited per user to preserve message readability.
  • Custom emojis are supported as part of the feature set.
  • The rollout is automatic; no admin action is required but communications are recommended. (west.jcteams.info)

Better search and message filtering​

The Find-in-Chat and contextual search experience can now filter to show only messages with attachments, and search results display file “chiclets” — small visual previews showing file type and filename to speed recognition. Teams also added SQL-like search operators to refine queries (for:username, in:channel, etc.), which provides a familiar, precise searching model for power users. These changes are incremental but important for organizations relying on Teams as an information repository. (techcommunity.microsoft.com)

Customizable keyboard shortcuts and saved message view​

Users can now customize keyboard shortcuts and select preset layouts that mimic other platforms (e.g., Slack or Zoom), reducing the cognitive overhead for users switching between collaboration tools. A dedicated “saved messages” view helps users collect and recall pinned/important messages more easily. Both are small UX changes with outsized productivity benefits when adopted widely across teams. (techcommunity.microsoft.com)

Meetings, webinars, and town halls: templates, control, and AI tuning​

Personal meeting templates (Teams Premium)​

Teams introduced personal meeting templates that let users set commonly used meeting options (access rules, Copilot settings, recording and transcript preferences) and apply them when scheduling. This is gated behind Teams Premium licensing, which continues to be Microsoft’s mechanism for monetizing advanced meeting and security controls. Templates reduce admin and organizer friction for recurring meeting types (client calls, support sessions, standups). (techcommunity.microsoft.com)

Copilot: tenant-level custom dictionaries​

A major admin-focused capability this month is the ability for IT to upload custom dictionaries to Copilot in Teams. Admins (with the AI administrator role) can upload tenant dictionaries — CSV files capped at 500 entries per language — to improve transcription accuracy and entity recognition across meetings, webinars, and town halls. Supported languages include English, Spanish, Japanese, French, German, Portuguese, Italian, and Simplified Chinese. The document clarifies prerequisites (Copilot licensing, eligible Teams licensing, and public-preview participation) and explains that dictionaries are applied tenant-wide and may take up to 24 hours to propagate. Microsoft’s Learn documentation provides step-by-step guidance for creating and uploading these dictionaries. (learn.microsoft.com, techcommunity.microsoft.com)
Why this matters:
  • Improved transcripts and Intelligent Recap outputs for industry jargon and product names.
  • Reduces manual cleanup of AI-generated meeting artifacts.
  • Centralized admin control avoids inconsistent user-driven dictionaries but requires governance for updates. (learn.microsoft.com)

Lobby chat, editable display names, and town hall customization​

Meeting organizers can now message attendees waiting in the lobby through lobby chat, a one-way messaging channel that helps external participants understand waiting-room expectations. Participants can edit their display name during meetings for meeting-specific roles or preferred names — a meeting-scoped change that does not alter account profiles. Town Halls gain ‘Manage what attendees see’ controls and visual customization tools (Premium), allowing host-driven attendee experiences and branded presentations. (techcommunity.microsoft.com)

Teams Phone: workforce-aware routing and user onboarding​

Shifts integration for call queues​

Teams Shifts is now integrated with Teams call queues, enabling call routing to reference shift schedules. Call queues can use scheduling groups and shift data so that incoming calls route only to agents actively on shift. This reduces missed calls and manual queue configuration while aligning contact center routing with workforce schedules. For organizations running distributed support desks, the integration is a practical time-saver. (techcommunity.microsoft.com)

Phone number assignment emails and device sign-in for non-touch models​

Admins can trigger branded email notifications when assigning Teams Phone numbers, smoothing user onboarding. In addition, device sign-in support for non-touch models (for example, using T9-style input on kiosk devices) expands the set of Teams-capable hardware for front-desk and common-area devices. These changes remove friction for larger-scale Teams Phone rollouts. (techcommunity.microsoft.com)

Workplace: Places and Teams Rooms — desk booking and admin controls​

Teams Places and Rooms gained multiple desk-booking improvements — mostly reserved for Teams Premium tenants — including:
  • Map-based desk booking (interactive floor plans).
  • Book desks near colleagues (location-aware reservations).
  • Partial-day and multi-day bookings.
  • Book on behalf of others (delegate booking).
  • Auto-release settings for no-shows.
  • Configurable desk modes: Reservable, Drop-in, Assigned, Unavailable.
  • New Places admin dashboard and built-in role support for delegated management. (techcommunity.microsoft.com)
These features align with post‑pandemic hybrid office strategies, where organizations want to maximize utilization and provide employees predictable seating near collaborators. Admins must review privacy and location-sharing settings because features like “book near colleague” depend on directory visibility and consent. (techcommunity.microsoft.com)

Fundamentals, security, and frontline worker solutions​

Audit logging and security telemetry​

Teams now supports audit log entries for Give/Take Control and screenshare actions, giving IT and compliance teams traceability for remote-control events. This is particularly important for regulated industries and for environments where remote troubleshooting must be auditable. (techcommunity.microsoft.com)

SharePoint agent integration and multiple agents in group chats​

SharePoint agents can now be added to Teams channels, and group chats support multiple agents (previously only one). SharePoint agents pull content from SharePoint libraries to surface compliance, knowledge base, or policy information inside Teams — useful for frontline workers and shared channel scenarios. (techcommunity.microsoft.com)

Certified for Teams devices: what hardware is new this month​

Microsoft listed several newly Certified for Teams devices, including:
Certified devices go through Microsoft’s compatibility and quality checks for audio/video performance, device management, security, and Teams feature support. For IT procurement, these certifications reduce implementation risk and simplify support matrices. However, certification does not remove the need for device firmware management and network readiness tests. (learn.microsoft.com, yealink.com)

Critical analysis — strengths and potential risks​

Notable strengths​

  • Admin control for AI outputs: Tenant-level custom dictionaries for Copilot are highly valuable. They address a common enterprise pain point — mis-transcribed product or team names — and will materially improve transcript quality and downstream intelligent recaps. The centralized approach simplifies governance, and Microsoft’s Learn doc provides concrete guidance for admins. (learn.microsoft.com)
  • Practical UX improvements: Multiple reactions, keyboard shortcut customization, and message filtering are low-friction changes with immediate user benefits. They reduce friction in daily collaboration and align Teams with user expectations formed by competing platforms. (techcommunity.microsoft.com, west.jcteams.info)
  • Hybrid-work tooling: Places upgrades and desk booking features address real hybrid-office coordination challenges. Map-based booking and auto-release policies increase desk utilization efficiency. (techcommunity.microsoft.com)
  • Workforce-aware voice routing: Shifts integration into call queues closes a long-standing gap between scheduling and contact routing — important for midsize and large contact centers. (techcommunity.microsoft.com)

Potential risks and caveats​

  • Licensing and feature fragmentation: Several capabilities are gated behind Teams Premium and Copilot licensing (and in some cases Public Preview enrollment). This creates a two-tiered experience that can complicate purchasing decisions and internal change management. Organizations need to map features to user personas carefully to avoid uneven experiences. (techcommunity.microsoft.com, learn.microsoft.com)
  • Privacy and data residency concerns with Copilot: Custom dictionaries improve transcription but also centralize tenant-specific terms in Microsoft’s systems. While Microsoft documents the process and required admin roles, organizations must assess whether adding sensitive product names or process acronyms to Copilot dictionaries has any compliance or IP exposure implications. The feature requires a Copilot license and public-preview participation for some tenants, so data governance reviews are prudent. (learn.microsoft.com, techcommunity.microsoft.com)
  • Admin workload and governance: Tenant-wide dictionaries enforce consistency but shift the operational burden to IT. Processes will be needed to collect, validate, and update terms (including “sounds like” fields), which could become a maintenance cost if organizations iterate fast. (learn.microsoft.com)
  • Rollout variability and phased availability: Microsoft’s staged rollouts and preview gating mean not every tenant will see all changes at once. IT should expect feature visibility variance across channels (Public Preview, Targeted Release, Commercial, GCC/DoD) and plan communications accordingly. (west.jcteams.info, techcommunity.microsoft.com)

Practical rollout guidance for IT teams​

  • Inventory: Map which features require new licenses (Teams Premium, Microsoft 365 Copilot) and which are available to existing license holders. Prioritize based on user impact.
  • Pilot: Use Public Preview or a small Targeted Release cohort for features that affect transcripts (custom dictionaries) and meeting behaviors (lobby chat, display name edits).
  • Governance: Create a lightweight process for dictionary updates (who can request, who validates, update cadence). Limit entries to high-value terms (product names, acronyms).
  • Privacy review: For Copilot dictionaries, perform a DPIA if your organization handles regulated data or has strict data residency requirements.
  • Communications: Announce UX changes like multiple reactions and keyboard shortcut presets ahead of rollout to reduce confusion.
  • Device testing: For certified devices (e.g., Yealink A50, Logitech Rally Board 65, EPOS IMPACT 100), test firmware, network QoS, and device management integration before large deployments. (learn.microsoft.com, yealink.com, eposaudio.com)

What to watch next​

  • Adoption metrics for Copilot-driven meeting recaps and the real-world impact of custom dictionaries on transcript accuracy.
  • How Teams Premium price and packaging evolve across geographies, and whether Microsoft will fold more capabilities into base Teams licensing.
  • Device firmware and management stories as new certified hardware (Rally Board 65, MeetingBar A50) lands in enterprises; vendor-managed clouds and firmware update flows will matter operationally. (ir.logitech.com, yealink.com)

Conclusion​

August’s Teams update is not a single blockbuster feature but a well‑balanced package: small UX wins (multi-emoji reactions, keyboard shortcuts), administrative control where it matters (custom Copilot dictionaries, audit logs), and hybrid workplace plumbing (Places desk management and Shifts call-queue routing). For IT teams, the headline is less about novelty and more about operational maturity — Microsoft continues to extend Teams from pure chat/meetings into a managed, AI-infused platform for hybrid collaboration. Organizations that plan for licensing, governance, and staged piloting will extract the most value while keeping compliance and support risk manageable. For those building or maintaining a modern hybrid workplace, these 26 additions refine the tools that make daily collaboration and large-scale meetings actually work. (techcommunity.microsoft.com, learn.microsoft.com, west.jcteams.info)
Source: Windows Central Microsoft Teams gets 26 new features — here’s the full list
 

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