M365 Changelog: (Updated) Viva Topics app in Teams

MC546937 – Updated May 23, 2023: Microsoft has updated the rollout timeline below. Thank you for your patience.

The official Viva Topics app in Teams is rolling out to external customers.

Previously, Microsoft had built a Topics app for Teams as a script that Teams admins could upload. Now, the Topics app is available as a first party “Microsoft-built” app. This means the app is available in the app store for your tenant already, no upload or script-downloading required. Users in your tenant can either easily ‘add’ the app, like other Microsoft-built or Viva apps, or the Teams admins can select to have the Topics app pre-installed for users. 

This message is associated with Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 118592

When this will happen:

Preview: Microsoft will begin rolling out late April and expect to complete by late April.

Standard Release: Microsoft will begin rolling out late April and expect to complete by mid-June (previously mid-May).

How this will affect your organization:

The app is our Topic Center experience ported over into Teams. End users will be able to see the My Topics webpart. KMs and Admins will have access to Manage Topics and eventually the analytics. Any other added tabs in your Topic Center will reflect as well. There is also new navigation to allow users of Viva Suite to easily navigate between their Viva apps in Teams and give feedback.

What you need to do to prepare:

There is no action needed to prepare for this change. You may want to notify your users about this change and update any relevant documentation as appropriate.