Forum Discussion
TonyRedmond
Mar 02, 2021MVP
Microsoft Teams Connect aka Shared Channels Coming Later in 2021
Microsoft Teams Connect, a new way of collaboration based on federated shared channels, is now in private preview and should be available later in 2021. The best thing about shared channels is that you don’t need to switch tenants to access a channel in another tenant. Azure B2B collaboration (guest accounts) is still important, but this is a brand new way of working that should be very popular.
https://practical365.com/blog/microsoft-teams-connect-shared-channels/
- kaaremaiBrass ContributorPlease be aware that there currently is a bug with the windows client, making shared channels unreliable as described here:
https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/microsoft-teams/missing-messages-in-shared-channels-in-windows-client/m-p/3648154 - Nepali_sandhyaCopper ContributorThe share Channel Feature are not appearing in my Microsoft Teams how is this possible
- MelGKollectiveCopper Contributor
TonyRedmond We are hanging out for this feature. Can you give us any more detail about when it should arrive than later in 2021. Mid-2021? Third quarter? In time for Christmas?
- SimonPayneAUCopper Contributor
- shakazulu89Copper Contributor
this is out now correct? I cannot seem to activate this feature! Documentation is non-existant. the few steps i did find did not help (turned on share channels in policies). i do not have option to share channels. what am i missing?
- Here you are... some details about what you'll get in shared channels when they reach public preview next month:
Diving into the Details of Microsoft Teams Shared Channels
A year after announcing Teams shared channels, Microsoft is preparing to release the code into public preview in March 2022. The new collaboration mechanism uses Azure AD B2B Direct Connect instead of guest accounts, meaning that external members of shared channels use credentials issued by their home tenant to gain access. You’ll need to configure a cross-tenant access policy to allow shared channels to work externally. Once that’s done, the collaboration floodgates open.
https://practical365.com/microsoft-prepares-debut-teams-shared-channels/- TJTalhaCopper Contributor
- Matthew JarskyIron ContributorI wonder when this will arrive.
- I know people are frustrated that Microsoft has not delivered shared channels by now. Yesterday, an important prerequisite appeared in preview to pave the way for shared channels to come in preview next month. Azure AD cross-tenant collaboration controls are the foundation for shared channels. More at https://office365itpros.com/2022/02/08/azure-ad-cross-tenant-access/
- Kelly-D-JonesBrass Contributor
Hey TonyRedmond - Do you know if people from the federated tenant will be considered in the "Everyone" group in SharePoint?
- I doubt it. The technology is based on Azure AD accounts and not SharePoint. But it is easily tested when the software is available.
- shakazulu89Copper Contributorso wait, this is still not released?
- Kelly-D-JonesBrass Contributor
Hi shakazulu89 - Teams Connect (aka shared channels) is still in development. Latest Roadmap update says public preview in March 2022.
- shakazulu89Copper Contributor
Kelly-D-Jones ouch, so muchfor november 2021
- kaaremaiBrass ContributorI don't care that much about shared channels in relation to external users. All I want is a very basic thing which I cabn't fathom why Teams didn't have from the beginning: Channels where I can invite ANY user from our own tenant.
It is the single most requested feature in our organization to be able to have different channels in ones team with different members.
And no, creating a new team for each combination of users is a terrible solution.- Simon PayneCopper Contributor
kaaremai
Sound like you want private channels.Have one parent team for all users and then channels with individually managed membership.
Having the ability to invite any user from the tenant to a channel but not to the team seems to be a bit like given them access to a subfolder on a fileserver but not giving them access to the parent folder.- DamirBrass Contributor
private channels are limited to 30 in a team. so the proposed "solution" stops working at about 50+ employees total i'd say not to mention what do you do when you have channels for various functions, especially cross functional groups, located in multiple teams. "just create more teams!!!" is a "solution" that very quickly leads leadership to think teams is terrible and confusing for collaboration.
some of the ways teams operates and what it can or can not do make me wonder if it's possible that tea teams devs and product leads have never been part of an organization before and thus don't know how "work" works? is everyone working on teams in their first year out of university at their first "real" job? it would be the only sane explanation for some of their direction and decisions taken so far.
- All:
The current status of shared channels is that they are in limited private preview with customers through Microsoft's Technology Adoption Program (TAP). Microsoft indicated at Ignite that they expect shared channels to be available in public preview in early 2022. Exactly when depends on the technology meeting thresholds for quality and functionality AND the availability of other features within Microsoft 365 that shared channels need to work. Yes, it's a pain that things are taking so long, but you'd prefer to get functionality that works well and doesn't take a huge amount of effort to implement and manage... wouldn't you?- Ed_KennyBrass ContributorThis is starting to have some "Private Channels" vibes to it. 😞
- The difference is that shared channels are introducing a completely new authentication mechanism to permit sharing with people from other Microsoft 365 tenants. Given the sensitivity of authentication and sharing of potentially confidential information which might be in shared channels, I think it is both right and best for Microsoft to wait until they have resolved bugs and bulletproofed the software (as much as this is possible).
- justinsiegardCopper ContributorYes, but I'd also like to be able to tell my end users when they can expect features with confidence. Saying "Later in 2021" starting back in December of 2020 and then waiting until NOVEMBER of 2021 to say it's being pushed back is just poor communication.
- Dirk_SmithCopper Contributor
It's inexcusable this feature is STILL not available. This creates huge headaches for companies that are merging or partnered up (which my company is now trying to figure out). This is a basic function that should have been up and running when Teams was launched. It was announced a year ago and we still have nothing.
- justinsiegardCopper Contributor
Any news on this? I've been hearing later in 2021 since March. At this point I have users asking me when it will be available, some going as far as holding off on making new Teams because they would rather user a shared channel. At this point we only have a month and a half left in 2021, so is the anticipated release still "later in 2021" or "Sometime in 2022"?
- taliesinBrass Contributor
justinsiegard Shared Channels will be available for Public Preview in the 1st quarter of 2022. See https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/microsoft-teams-blog/microsoft-ignite-fall-2021-innovations-coming-to-microsoft-teams/ba-p/2824127, section titled "Shared Channels and Chat with Teams"