Microsoft Teams Can Now Automatically Block "All Identified" External Bots from Joining Meetings

Microsoft is giving Teams administrators more control over who and what can enter meetings, while also making it easier to manage apps and agents across Microsoft 365. As previously revealed in the Admin Message Center, the latest Teams admin updates introduce automatic blocking for identified external bots and unify app installation controls across Teams, Outlook and Microsoft 365 Copilot.

Microsoft Teams can now block identified external bots automatically

One of the highlights is the new option that lets administrators automatically block all identified external bots from joining Teams meetings. The feature expands Microsoft’s existing controls for managing external AI bots and regulating their access to meetings.

Instead of handling identified bots individually, admins can now enable a broader rule to prevent them from joining meetings automatically. This gives organizations another way to control external bot access, especially as more AI-powered tools are being used alongside Teams meetings.

Microsoft is unifying Teams, Outlook and Copilot app management

Microsoft is also changing how administrators manage app and agent installations across its services. With the new Unified Agent and App Installation Management Across Microsoft 365 and Teams Admin Center, admins can make installation changes once and have those settings consistently enforced across Teams, Outlook and Microsoft 365 Copilot.

Previously, the two admin centers handled these controls separately. Changes made through the Microsoft 365 admin center applied to Outlook and Microsoft 365, while changes made through the Teams admin center applied only to Teams.

That split is now being removed for supported apps and agents, giving administrators a more consistent way to control what gets installed across Microsoft’s productivity services.