MC844920: Microsoft Teams devices: App-only updates for Android-based Teams devices

Announcement IDMC844920Published Date08-01-2024
ServicemicrosoftteamsLast Updated08-01-2024
CategoryStay informedExpiration Date01-31-2025
Roadmap IDAction Required by Date
TagsAdmin impact, Feature update


Summary
                Updates for Android-based Microsoft Teams devices will be more flexible, allowing for stand-alone app updates. Rollouts start in August 2024 and will enable updates via the Teams admin center for individual components like Microsoft Intune and Authenticator, with automatic updates for certain apps. No action is required from administrators to prepare.


More Information

With this rollout, updates for Android-based Teams devices will become more flexible. All software components (Microsoft Intune, Microsoft Authenticator, Company Portal, and Teams Admin agent) will be available for updates as stand-alone applications. This rollout makes it easier and faster for the devices to receive the latest features, fixes, and performance improvements.

When this will happen:

General Availability (Worldwide): We will begin rolling out early August 2024 and expect to complete by early September 2024.

General Availability (GCC): We will begin rolling out late September 2024 and expect to complete by late October 2024.

General Availability (GCC High): We will begin rolling out late October 2024 and expect to complete by late November 2024.

How this will affect your organization:

Before the rollout: Android-based Teams devices Teams Rooms on Android (MTR-A), Panels, Phones, and Displays are updated through the bundled firmware or the Teams app. They are updated automatically or manually by admins through the Teams admin center.

After the rollout

With this rollout, the devices will also be able to update through app-only releases of Company Portal, Microsoft Intune, Microsoft Authenticator, and the Teams admin agent.

For firmware and the Teams app, the experience of updating the devices will not change. The experience will be the same for all apps.

When a new version of Company Portal, Microsoft Intune, Microsoft Authenticator, or the Teams Admin agent is released for the devices, the update will be available through the Teams admin center. Admins can select one or more devices and then select the relevant app and update the devices on the desired schedule. Admins can then monitor the progress of the update operation in the device's History.

Automatic update details

  • Automatic updates for Teams devices ensure that the devices are updated without the need for any intervention. Microsoft automatically rolls out the updates on the eligible devices when a new version is available.
  • Automatic updates will happen for Microsoft Intune and Microsoft Authenticator.
  • Support for automatic updates of Teams admin agent will be available later and a separate MC post will follow.
  • Automatic updates will not happen for Company Portal.
  • Automatic updates rollout will follow the update phases already configured for the devices. Learn more about update phases. The timeline will be the same as the timeline for the Teams app.
  • Automatic updates will happen only during the configured maintenance window of the devices. 
  • Admins can track the details of update operations in the History section for the device in Teams admin center.
  • Information about the active automatic update rollouts will be available through the Software auto-updates widget on the Inventory page in the Teams admin center.

Both manual and automatic updates for these apps will happen in sync for paired MTR-A and consoles.

What you need to do to prepare:

The new changes will automatically take effect upon release. Administrators don't need to do anything to prepare. You may want to notify your admins about this change and update any relevant documentation.

When new versions are released, they will be announced through the public release notes. After that, the administrators can visit the Teams admin center for updating the devices or let the devices get automatically updated, as applicable.

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