M365 Changelog: Improved management of Teams apps with capabilities extended to Outlook and the Microsoft 365 app via Integrated Apps

MC541155 – In January 2023, Microsoft released the feature to manage Teams Apps with certain capabilities that extend to Outlook and the Microsoft 365 App (formerly known as Office.com) via the Microsoft 365 Admin Center. Now, Microsoft is introducing controls at an app and tenant level, for admins to define which users in their organization can install and use these apps on Outlook and the Microsoft 365 App via Integrated Apps in the Microsoft 365 Admin Center.

This message is associated with Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 88942

When this will happen:

Standard Release: This feature will begin rolling out to standard release customers in early May 2023 and will complete mid-May 2023.

How this will affect your organization:

With this release, Global Admins can manage how these apps are accessed by users on Outlook and the Microsoft 365 App and set a default state for these apps in the organization. This control only impacts Outlook and the Microsoft 365 App. To manage these apps on Teams, continue to use the Teams Admin Center.

This feature is coming for the Azure Application Admin role by end of May 2023. For tenants that do not have access to the Azure Application Admin role, please use the Global Admin role to make changes until this role is made available to you.

 What new controls is Microsoft providing?

1. Per App Control over user installation and use:Admins can choose which users have access to install an app from the store and use the installed app on Outlook and the Microsoft 365 App. These changes can be made for 1P/3P store apps and custom/LOB apps uploaded by the admin.

• Admins can choose to make the app available for installation and use to all users, no users, or specific users. Note that when admins select a specific set of users, the unselected users will not be able to install the app from the store.

The above changes will only apply to Outlook and the Microsoft 365 App. To manage how these apps show up on Teams, please continue to use the Teams Admin Center. (Any previous settings made from the Teams Admin Center will continue to apply for how these apps show up on Teams.)

2. Tenant-wide Default: Admins can set a default state for their tenant for all 1P /3P apps on Outlook and the Microsoft 365 App.

The default tenant state will apply to the following apps:

a. All new and incoming Teams apps with capabilities extended to Outlook and the Microsoft 365 App.

b. All apps published in the past that were not blocked by the admin.

• If an app was previously blocked for Outlook and the Microsoft 365 App, it will continue to remain blocked even after the default state for the tenant is changed. When admins unblock the app, it will revert to the default state set for the tenant on Outlook and the Microsoft 365 App.

c. All apps published in the past that were deployed by the admin.

• The default tenant state will also apply to admin-deployed apps. If an app was previously deployed by the admin to a set of users for Outlook and the Microsoft 365 App, it will continue to remain deployed to the selected set of users, even after the default state for the tenant is changed.

The default tenant state will not apply to the following apps:

a. Custom/LOB apps uploaded by the admin.

• When a custom/LOB app is uploaded by the admin via the Microsoft 365 Admin Center, all users in the organization will have access to install the app by default.

i. Admins can continue to deploy the custom/LOB app to a selected set of users.

ii. Admins can also edit which users have access to install and use the custom/LOB app, as detailed in the ‘Per app control over user installation and use’ section above.

c. Apps that have any user selections made by the admin.

• The changes made by the admin as part of the ‘Per app control over user installation and use’ section detailed above will be honored over the default state in the tenant. Once an admin specifies users for an app, this setting supersedes the tenant-wide default setting for that app.

What does this mean for your organization?

1. All settings made via Integrated Apps will be honored on Outlook and the Microsoft 365 App. Any changes made on Integrated Apps will not impact the Teams client. To manage how these apps show up on Teams, please continue to use Teams Admin Center.

2. Admins can continue to deploy these apps for all or specific users on Outlook and the Microsoft 365 App as before, irrespective of who they have specified to self-install and use the self-installed app. (No action needed)

3. Admins can continue to block these apps on Outlook and the Microsoft 365 App for all users in the organization as before. When an app is blocked, all previous settings made for the app are superseded by the block. Users and admins can’t install or deploy the app, and users can’t use the app if it was previously installed or deployed. (No action needed)

4. Admins can continue to unblock these apps on Outlook and the Microsoft 365 App in their organization as before. When an app is unblocked, it will be restored to the last saved state. (No action needed)

What you can do to prepare:

There is no action you need to take to prepare for this change, but you might consider updating your user documentation.

Additional information