(Updated) Microsoft Teams: Block Meeting Chat Access in External, Non-Trusted Meeting Joins

Updated November 27, 2023: We have updated the rollout timeline below. Thank you for your patience.

Microsoft Teams IT Admins will soon be able to block internal users from accessing chats when these users join meetings organized on external non-trusted tenants, including cross-cloud join. This release of Microsoft Teams’ new meeting chat setting will be rolling out across MS Teams Desktop, Mobile and Web and will provide a new way for tenants to manage users’ chat access in meetings hosted on external non-trusted tenants.

This message is associated with Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 123975

[When will this happen:]

Targeted Release: We will begin rollout in early July and expect to complete rollout by mid-July.

GA: We will begin rollout in mid-July and expect to complete rollout by late July.

GCC: We will begin rollout in early August and expect to complete rollout by mid-August.

GCCH: We will begin rollout in mid-August and expect to complete rollout by late August.

DoD: We will begin rollout in mid-September and expect to complete rollout by mid-December 2023 (previously early November).

[How this will affect your organization:]

IT Admins can modify this setting for internal users from the Teams Admin Center under External Meeting Chat or from PowerShell under AllowExternalNonTrustedMeetingChat. Internal users who have External Meeting Chat as OFF from the Admin Center or AllowExternalNonTrustedMeetingChat as False from the PowerShell will not have read or write chat access in meetings hosted on external non-trusted tenants on any Teams platforms. 

[What you need to do to prepare:]

You may want to notify your users about this new setting and the potential effect on their chat access when joining external meetings.