M365 Changelog: The Office app is becoming the Microsoft 365 app
MC446132 – On October 12, 2022 at Microsoft Ignite Microsoft announced that the Office app for web (office.com), Windows, iOS, and Android will be rebranded to become the Microsoft 365 app. In the coming months, these apps will automatically update to the Microsoft 365 app, which will include a new icon, styling, and features.
This message is associated with Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 98173
When this will happen:
Changes will begin rolling out to customers of the Office web app (Office.com) in November 2022. This will be part of a phased rollout, so not every customer will receive the update at the same time. Users will be able to experience the new Microsoft 365 app at microsoft365.com or office.com. In mid-2023, office.com will begin automatically redirecting to microsoft365.com.
The Office mobile apps for iOS and Android and the Office app for Windows will update to become the Microsoft 365 app at a later time. In November 2022, users of these Office apps will begin seeing in-product messaging notifying them of the upcoming change. In January 2023, these apps will automatically update to become the Microsoft 365 app. When that update occurs, users will see the new Microsoft 365 icon on their device home screens instead of the current Office icon.
How this will affect your organization
Users in your organization should understand that the Office app is changing to the Microsoft 365 app. The web app will be accessed at a new URL (www.microsoft365.com) although the experience can also be used at the existing URL (www.office.com) for a limited time. Users of the Windows and mobile versions of the app will use the Microsoft 365 app represented by a new icon instead of the Office app represented by the Office icon.
The Microsoft 365 app is an evolution of the current Office app. Existing users will be familiar with many of the core experiences. The app provides a single destination for users to find all their content across multiple file types and storage locations, start new files in the Create module from a wide variety of apps and templates, and find all the applications entitled to them through their Microsoft 365 plan. Additionally, mobile-centric capabilities, such as scanning documents and using voice to create content, will continue to be part of the mobile application.
The apps will also include some new features:
• Feed – a new page that uses intelligence from the Microsoft Graph to surface relevant content based on who they work with and what they do.
• Tagging (web and Windows only) – a new feature that helps users to individually group content with “tags” that they determine, regardless of where the content is stored.
• Apps module – a new apps module connects users to Microsoft 365 apps beyond Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, including third-party apps that have integrated with Microsoft 365.
What you need to do to prepare
• Ensure that the microsoft365.com domain is added to the Allow list for your organization’s firewall to ensure the new domain is not blocked. Additional security configuration details are in Microsoft 365 endpoints documentation.
• Update any internal documentation that references office.com or the Office app to refer to microsoft365.com or the Microsoft 365 app.
• Review the blog announcement from Microsoft Ignite for more information about the Microsoft 365 app.