Microsoft announced today that Viva Engage communities are now available directly inside Microsoft Teams through public preview. This move brings social media elements to Microsoft Teams and eliminates the need for users of both platforms to switch between apps for company-wide conversations.
The feature is now rolling out in public preview. The transition isn"t auto-enabled, however, as orgs" admins will first need to opt in for the preview, and Microsoft will gradually roll it out for those who do. No migration is required as Microsoft will automatically sync existing content, permissions, and memberships between Teams and the standalone Viva Engage app.
Microsoft intends for Communities to serve as internal social media for companies inside Teams. Users can post different types of content, such as discussions, Q&A, images, articles, announcements, and more. Community members can then engage with posts by reacting with emojis and replying.
Communities are now part of the default Chat app in Teams, alongside chats and channels. Users can reorganize them into custom sections, hide them in navigation, or change the sort order. There’s also a dedicated “Your communities” page where users can manage community memberships.
Copilot is also deeply integrated with the Communities section through AI-powered “agents for communities.” These agents scan open questions and suggest answers pulled from organizational knowledge bases. Still, admins will need to approve AI-generated responses before they’re posted.
Microsoft had already tried to integrate Viva Engagement with Teams before, through basic tab embeds. This time, the integration is deeper, as Microsoft makes Viva Engage fully integrated into Teams.
Viva Engage itself isn"t going anywhere. The standalone web and mobile apps remain fully functional and provide the backend for the integration. User posts will be accessible in both places.
The full public version of Communities for Microsoft Teams should be available between March and May this year.
Microsoft is expected to bring even more features to Teams. For starters, code blocks will become mobile-friendly with syntax highlighting and scrollable containers by mid-February. The company is also releasing a revamped call feedback screen and the ability to report suspicious calls directly to IT admins.
Source: Microsoft