Microsoft 365 Roadmap Weekly: Follow meetings in Outlook, forward messages in Teams and more

The Microsoft 365 roadmap site got a few notable updates in the past week. One of them we have already reported on as the new Microsoft Teams will get access to the Copilot generative AI assistant, with a rollout scheduled for November.

Here's a look at some of the other new posts made on the roadmap in the last seven days:

Teams - Forward messages in chats and more

Microsoft Teams's new Windows and Mac app may have officially launched last week, but the online chat and collaboration service is getting even more features soon. One that will roll out in November will let users forward messages to other chats:

Forward messages quickly from one chat to another using the right-click menu. You can add additional content to the message to provide context and clarity for the recipient. You can forward messages to 1:1 chats and group chats.

Another new addition that will roll out later in October will include a new custom background feature.

Teams users will be able to create engaging custom backgrounds for channel announcements in just a few clicks. Powered by Microsoft Designer, use generative AI to create expressive images.

Finally, there's a new feature coming to Teams on Android and iOS in November:

This feature enables you to quickly capture content shared in a Teams meeting on a mobile device and save it in your photo gallery or share in Teams and other apps. We’ll honor privacy choices set in the meeting.

Outlook - Follow a meeting in the new Outlook app

Microsoft launched the new Outlook for Windows app in September, but a new feature that's due in March 2024 for both Windows and the web will let users let others know they want to follow an online meeting without attending:

Follow is a new meeting response (RSVP) option that goes beyond the traditional Accept, Tentative and Decline choices geared towards individuals with high meeting loads and conflicting meetings each day. Follow is the ideal RSVP option for meetings you can't attend but still want to stay engaged and receive info about. Other attendees will be able to see if you are following a meeting. This feature will be available in the new Outlook for Windows and Outlook on the web.

OneDrive - The web version will soon let users add shortcuts

Microsoft revealed a major revamp of its OneDrive file storage service earlier this week. However, the Microsoft 365 Roadmap showed a new feature coming to the web version of OneDrive in October.

This feature will let you create a shortcut to files stored in other people's OneDrive and document libraries to be able to easily find it within your OneDrive. These file shortcuts can be moved, renamed, or deleted without impacting the source content, and they will show up in OneDrive for Web, Android, iOS, and sync client endpoints.

That's all we have this week, but we will have another look at the roadmap next Sunday.