Office 365 for Mac apps will no longer be supported on macOS 10.13 High Sierra or older starting November 10, 2020. Microsoft announced the change on its Office 365 message center, and users of these older versions macOS will no longer get app updates and new features starting next month.
“As of the Microsoft 365 for Mac November 2020 update, macOS 10.14 Mojave or later is required to receive updates to Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook and OneNote. If you continue with an older version of macOS, your Office apps will continue to work but you will no longer receive any updates including security updates”, the company explained.
New installs of Office 365 for Mac will also require macOS 10.14 Mojave or newer starting next month. The Office 365 apps for Mac are currently available from both the Mac App Store and a standalone installer you can get on office.com/setup Either way, Office 365 (now Microsoft 365) subscribers get monthly updates with quality and security fixes every month,.
The soon to be unsupported macOS 10.13 High Sierra was released three years ago, and Apple releases a new major update for its desktop OS every year in the fall season. Big Sur, the next major update be the first version of the OS compatible with both Intel-based and ARM-based Macs. During its annual developer conference in June, Apple announced that Microsoft had already recompiled Word, Excel, and PowerPoint for the first ARM-based Macs that are expected to ship later this year. a work office setup
Microsoft is kicking off Ignite 2020, and as usual, there’s a big news drop to start things off. Included is a whole bunch of new things that are coming to Microsoft 365. There are a ton of Teams features, but other Microsoft 365 services are getting updates as well.
Outlook is getting some improvements, as you’d probably expect. Bookings is getting a new UI, along with new features for customization. On iOS and Android, Outlook is getting Play My Emails in more regions, voice commands for composing an email, reactions for emails, and QR connect to authenticate your Azure AD account. The new Outlook for Mac, using Microsoft Sync, is going to be available next month, but you’ll have to turn it on with a toggle.
Next up is Microsoft Search, which is getting new features later this year. Search is getting integrated into Teams, and it’s also coming to Windows search. New Microsoft Graph connectors are generally available, and Admin Feedback will allow employees to submit feedback to their administrator to help improve Search.
In the SharePoint and Yammer department, there’s a new Share To feature, which lets you share news to either service, along with Teams, with one click. There’s also a new All Company feed in Yammer, letting you share news to everyone at once, and in SharePoint, there’s a Boost feature to prioritize announcements in employees’ feeds. There are also new Insights to help understand reach and engagement, and there are new built-in templates. People are going to be able to upvote answers to questions in Yammer as well.
Next up, Project Cortex is starting to mature as SharePoint Syntex. It allows you to teach AI to extract data from documents, and then it can apply metadata to that data.
Microsoft is also rebuilding Microsoft Stream. The idea is to do for videos what Office has done for documents, and it should be just as easy to find a create, share, and find videos in your organization. The new Microsoft Stream will arrive in Q4 of this year.
In Excel, users can connect to Power BI datasets, so they can use tools that are familiar to them. For example, you can use PivotTables or something along those lines.
Microsoft also announced some new features for IT professionals. Microsoft Tunnel is a remote access solution with Endpoint Manager and lets your smartphone connect to on-prem resources. Also, Endpoint Manager now supports managing virtual endpoints like Windows Virtual Desktop.
Most of the features announced are coming later this year.
Earlier in the day, Apple released an update to its App Store guidelines, including some changes in its regulations regarding game streaming. Previously, the App Store did not allow game streaming services like Google Stadia, Microsoft xCloud, and Nvidia GeForce Now because Apple claimed that it cannot review each game being made available via the service.
With the recent changes in the guidelines, game streaming services are now allowed… as long as publishers submit each game for Apple’s approval separately. Microsoft has now cited concerns with Apple’s strategy, and hasn’t taken kindly to the Cupertino tech giant’s “olive branch”.
In a statement to The Verge, Microsoft explained that:
This remains a bad experience for customers. Gamers want to jump directly into a game from their curated catalog within one app just like they do with movies or songs, and not be forced to download over 100 apps to play individual games from the cloud. We’re committed to putting gamers at the center of everything we do, and providing a great experience is core to that mission.
Microsoft’s concerns do appear to be valid since the core experience of game streaming involves ideally having all games in one place and being able to switch from one title to the other without breaking immersion too much. While Apple does allow publishers a “catalog” app to list all their games in one place, accessing them would still require interaction with their respective App Store listings, an experience Microsoft obviously does not prefer.
Another caveat in Apple’s guidelines is that developers will have to allow users to sign up for the service in the app, meaning that Apple gets a 30% cut, and they’ll have to support the “Sign in with Apple”. This is already something Epic Games is battling against the Cupertino firm in courts, and while Microsoft hasn’t publicly cited concerns against the pricing model in this case, it would definitely strengthen Epic Games’ case if the Redmond giant decides to take this to court as well.
Today, at the Galaxy Unpacked event, Microsoft and Samsung shared the latest innovations in the long-term partnership announced last year. These new features bring the best of Microsoft’s productivity apps to the new Samsung Galaxy devices announced today.
New integrations enable you to bring your important notes and tasks across devices. Samsung Notes can automatically sync with your OneNote feed in Outlook on the web or OneNote as an image. You will also be able to sync Samsung Reminders from your Galaxy Note20 to your Windows 10 PC across Microsoft To Do, Outlook, and Microsoft Teams experiences.
For more details, read the full announcement on the Windows Experience Blog. We’re excited to see this partnership continue to bring the best productivity solutions to new Samsung devices.
Microsoft Teams is being updated on iOS that bring a few new features. The iPadOS app now supports a 3×3 grid view in meetings. Additionally, an option to toggle a setting that reduces the amount of data consumed in video calls is being added to iOS. The Android app also adds a few new features such as the ability to send meeting invite links to users that do not have a Teams account.
The Redmond giant began rolling out support for 3×3 video views back in May for the desktop clients. The addition of this feature on the iPad makes it a nifty one since the larger screen real estate can accommodate more participants. The new update brings support for a 2×4 grid on On iPhones, leveraging the portrait orientation. In addition to this, the iOS app is adding a new daily agenda view to view and share upcoming meetings.
Here is the full changelog for Teams on iOS that is now rolling out:
See more videos in your calls and meetings. 2×4 on iPhone, 3×3 on iPad
New setting to reduce the amount of data Teams uses while video is on
Choose which number to dial for org contacts with more than one phone number
Single sign-on access for bots and tools in Teams that use your org credentials
Daily agenda view of upcoming meetings. Join, edit, or share them with contacts
The Teams release notes page on Microsoft Support also mentions that Cortana voice support has been added to the app starting August 18. However, the changelog does not mention the addition. Cortana in Teams is currently rolling out only for users in the U.S., with a wider rollout expected in the future.
The Android version of the app was also updated today, however, the changelog seems to be the same from earlier versions, suggesting that it could be a bug-fixing update.
Office Mobile team. has introduce a new feature to increase your productivity: Scan to Word on Android.
Now we are able to digitize hard copy documents, such as receipts from a business trip that you need to include in an expense report, or notes from a brainstorming meeting that you’d like to use as a starting point for a proposal, would be helpful. Using the scanning power of Office Lens, office team is happy to give you the ability to easily convert physical documents into digital ones that can easily be edited and shared.
How it works
Whether you are starting a new document or updating an existing one, you can use the Scan to Word feature.
Start a document with scanned text:
1. Tap Create Document > Scan text.
2. Press the Lens button and take photos of the document you would like to scan.
3. Tap the Images button that shows the number of pictures you took.
4. Press the Done button to convert the images into your document.
Add scanned text to an existing document:
1. Open an existing document that you want to add scanned text to.
2. Place the cursor where you want to add the scanned text and tap the Insert tab > Scan Document
3. Tap the Camera button and take photos of the document you would like to scan.
4. Press the Images button that shows the number of pictures you took.
5. Tap the Done button to convert the images into your document.
Known Issue
Handwritten text is not recognized reliably. You will likely need to make adjustments to your document to ensure accuracy.
Availability
The Scan to Word feature is now available in English for users in the United States running Insider build 16.0.12730.10000 or later on Android. This feature will be coming to Windows Mobile soon.
Today, Microsoft announced the Microsoft 365 Personal and Family Subscriptions, the first consumer offerings from Microsoft 365. I’m pleased to follow up here to announce related changes to our Office 365 subscriptions for small and medium-sized businesses—and to Office 365 ProPlus. Going forward, all of these products will use the Microsoft 365 brand.
This is a natural evolution. Microsoft 365 began in 2017 as a licensing bundle for enterprise customers—a combination of Windows, Office, and Enterprise Mobility and Security (EMS). It has come a long way since then. Today, we call it “the world’s productivity cloud” and it represents our vision for the future of Microsoft productivity tools—an integrated set of apps and services that puts artificial intelligence (AI) and other cutting-edge innovations to work for you. And for small and medium-sized businesses, that includes new capabilities in Microsoft Teams to help you host rich meetings and events online; cloud file storage and sharing capabilities so you can collaborate from anywhere; and security and identity solutions to safeguard your business. At a moment when businesses are facing extraordinary health and economic challenges, we are pleased to bring our consumer and small and medium-sized business customers into this growing Microsoft 365 family.
New product names
The new product names go into effect on April 21, 2020. This is a change to the product name only, and there are no pricing or feature changes at this time.
Office 365 Business Essentials will become Microsoft 365 Business Basic.
Office 365 Business Premium will become Microsoft 365 Business Standard.
Microsoft 365 Business will become Microsoft 365 Business Premium.
Office 365 Business and Office 365 ProPlus will both become Microsoft 365 Apps. Where necessary we will use the “for business” and “for enterprise” labels to distinguish between the two.
Note that the changes to these products will all happen automatically.
Today, Microsoft simply announcing name changes. But these changes represent our ambition to continue to drive innovation in Microsoft 365 that goes well beyond what customers traditionally think of as Office. The Office you know and love will still be there, but we’re excited about the new apps and services we’ve added to our subscriptions over the last few years and about the new innovations we’ll be adding in the coming months. For questions, please refer the FAQs below and then head to the What is Microsoft 365 page for more details.
Frequently asked questions
Q. What Office 365 plan names aren’t changing? A. The following Office 365 plans will have no changes:
Office 365 for Enterprise
Office 365 E1
Office 365 E3
Office 365 E5
Office 365 for Firstline Workers
Office 365 F1
Office 365 for Education
Office 365 A1
Office 365 A3
Office 365 A5
Office 365 for Government
Office 365 G1
Office 365 G3
Office 365 G5
Q. Why are you making these changes? A. First, we want our products to reflect the range of features and benefits in the subscription. Microsoft 365 is an integrated set of apps and services that puts AI and other cutting-edge innovations to work for you. And for small and medium-sized businesses, that includes new capabilities in Microsoft Teams to help you host rich meetings and events online; cloud file storage and sharing capabilities so you can collaborate from anywhere; and security and identity solutions to safeguard your businesses. Second, we’re always looking for ways to simplify. This new approach to naming our products is designed to help you quickly find the plan you need and get back to your business.
Q. How does Office fit into Microsoft 365? Will I still be able to use Word, Excel, and PowerPoint? A. The Office suite is core to the Microsoft productivity experience, and that’s not changing. But over the last several years, our cloud productivity offering has grown well beyond what people traditionally think of as “Office.” Word, Excel, and PowerPoint are more important than ever before. But in Microsoft 365 we’re breathing new life into these apps with the help of the cloud and AI, and we’re adding new, born-in-the-cloud experiences like Teams, Stream, Forms, and Planner. All of this is underpinned by a set of common services that keep your data safe and secure. It’s Office and a whole lot more.
Q. Is there anything new or different in Microsoft 365 Apps for business or Microsoft 365 Apps for enterprise plans that wasn’t in Office 365 Business or Office 365 ProPlus plans? Any new features? A. There are no price or feature changes to plans at this time.
Q. When will the Microsoft 365 Business and Microsoft 365 Apps for enterprise plans be available? A. All plans will become available for customers on April 21, 2020.
Q. Are allof the Office 365 plans going away? What isn’t changing? A. None of the plans are going away. The same plans are available, only with updated names. And in the case of Office 365 Enterprise, the name will remain the same and there will be no changes.
Q. I’m an existing SMB or ProPlus customer. Do I need to take any action? A. Customers with the Office 365 Business, Office 365 Business Essentials, Office 365 Business Premium, or Microsoft 365 Business plans do not need to take additional action. The above changes will happen automatically.
Q. My company uses Office 365 ProPlus, and I have questions about this change. Where can I learn more? A. Customers with the Office 365 ProPlus plan should consult this site for further details.
As is usually the case at the end of every month, Microsoft has published a summary of updates made to Microsoft 365 for this month. Notably, similar to last year’s first round-up, the tech giant has aimed to reaffirm its commitment to first-line workers through a set of new tools. Updates to improve content presentation have also been highlighted, alongside the introduction of streamlined IT management processes and more. For starters, several steps have been taken to help empower first-line workers. The Walkie Talkie feature was announced earlier this month as a way for them to communicate more easily with each other. One-time SMS codes for sign-in and shared device sign-outs have been brought to Microsoft 365 as a whole as well. Finally, regarding Teams, Tasks have been revamped to offer new capabilities, and off-shift access controls have also been introduced for more control over user management.
Microsoft continues to make improvements to its Launcher on Android, and today it released version 5.10 to users enrolled in the beta program. Just like version 5.9, this is a tiny update, and all it does is add support for the dark theme setting in Android Pie and 10. While a genuinely system-wide dark mode was only added in Android 10, Pie already featured an option for a dark theme, which only affected some Google apps such as Phone, Messages, and Contacts. Microsoft Launcher already had a dark theme, but it had to be chosen manually, and the new option makes it adjust automatically based on your system setting. You can still set a different theme from the system setting, though, which is especially necessary if you want to use the transparent theme. Aside from that, this release only includes performance improvements and fixes. If you’re not on the beta program, Microsoft recently rolled out version 5.9 to the general public, with a new calendar icon that adapts automatically to the current date. If you haven’t yet, you can download Microsoft Launcher from the Play Store, and sign up for the beta program through the same page.
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