Microsoft has announced that Teams business and enterprise users who have accessed its SharePoint News Connector service to add news from their SharePoint site to Teams channels will have to find another way to access a similar shared news connection feature.
In a blog post, Microsoft announced it is retiring SharePoint News Connector this summer. It added:
Our decision to move beyond the SharePoint News connector is driven by our commitment to providing a seamless and collaborative environment. With current advancements in Microsoft Teams and SharePoint, we can leverage alternatives, ensuring real-time updates and discussions within Teams channels.
The retirement will begin with Microsoft ending support for adding new SharePoint News connectors on July 22, followed by phasing out current configured SharePoint News connectors on August 26. Users will stop receiving notifications from SharePoint News connectors on that date as well.
Teams and SharePoint admins will not have to do anything for this retirement as Microsoft will handle all of it. However, the company does recommend admins tell Teams users about this change and make the appropriate updates for their documentation.
So what will users be able to access as an alternative to SharePoint News Connections? Microsoft actually has three different options for businesses to choose from when SharePoint News Connections is retired:
- Viva Connections News notifications: The Viva Connections app delivers News notifications via Microsoft Teams and links users to the Viva Connections app through the notification - Learn more about Viva Connections News notifications
- Viva Amplify: Viva Amplify brings together internal communication processes in a single tool. You create content once, then publish your message through SharePoint, email, Microsoft Teams, and soon Viva Engage.- Publish a Viva Amplify publication
- Create your own workflows in Teams: Set up a Teams workflow
Admins can learn more about the retirement of SharePoint News Connectors and how to handle the transition at this support page.