M365 Changelog: (Updated) MailTips will recommend addressing accessibility issues before sending email messages

MC345824 – Updated July 27, 2022: Microsoft has updated the rollout timeline below. Thank you for your patience.

The accessibility MailTip will soon appear when users compose an email with a potential accessibility issues.

This message is associated with Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 93191

When this will happen:

Microsoft expects this to rollout to Semi Annual Channel (SAC) to begin in mid-July and be completed by mid-August (previously late July).

Note: This has already been rolled out to SAC Preview as of early March.

How this will affect your organization:

The accessibility MailTip will soon appear when users compose an email with Accessibility issues.

The Accessibility checker runs automatically when composing an email, and a MailTip provides a convenient nudge to correct accessibility issues before sending your email. You can go to File > Options > Ease of Access > Accessibility checker options and specify whether you want to see accessibility notifications through a MailTip in the following scenarios:

• Show me accessibility warnings while I work
• Show me accessibility warnings when:
  • At least one recipient prefers accessible content
  • Composing a message to a large audience
  • At least one recipient is outside my organization
  • Composing a message with high importance
  • Show me accessibility warnings only when I open the accessibility checker
  • Using a dark background to compose a message
    • Note: If you’re composing in Black Theme with Dark mode enabled, which is the default for that theme, the Accessibility checker runs but shows notifications only when text contrast is insufficient. Any other issues will still appear in the Accessibility pane, but won’t cause the MailTip to appear.

Note: This feature is on by default.

What you need to do to prepare:

No action required but you may want to update your documentation accordingly.

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