Important Changes to Whiteboard in Teams tabs

 

Message Summary

Microsoft Whiteboard is making Whiteboard tabs in Teams configurable using Teams app permission policies. This provides more control and flexibility to enable or disable Whiteboard tabs in Teams and complements the already existing meeting policy for Whiteboard in Teams meetings.

How this will affect your organization:

Whiteboard will become configurable via Teams app permission policies. This change applies to Whiteboard tabs but does not change Whiteboard in meetings or Teams Annotations.

Tenants who have the policy of "Allow specific apps and block all others" for Microsoft apps will need to add Whiteboard to the list of specific apps once this change is in place to keep Whiteboard tabs functioning. 

What you need to do to prepare:

Verify if you are using “Allow specific apps and block all others” in the Teams Admin Center. If so, add Whiteboard to the list of allowed apps. Please note that Whiteboard will not appear until after it has rolled out to your tenant, so you will need to check after March 15, 2023.

When this will happen:

Rollout will begin in early March and is expected to be complete by mid-March.

Create an app permission policy

Use one or more custom app permission policies, if you want to control the apps that are available for different groups of users. You can create and assign separate custom policies based on whether apps are published by Microsoft, third-parties, or your organization. After you create a custom policy, you can't change it if third-party apps are disabled in org-wide app settings.

1. Sign in to Teams admin center and access Teams apps > Permission policies.

2. Select Add.

3. Provide a name and description for the policy.

4. Under Microsoft apps, Third-party apps, and Custom apps, select one of the following options:

   • Allow all apps
   • Allow specific apps and block all others
   • Block specific apps and allow all others
   • Block all apps

5. If you selected Allow specific apps and block all others, add the apps that you want to allow:

   1. Select Allow apps.
   2. Search for the apps that you want to allow, and then select Add. The search results are filtered to the app developer (Microsoft apps, Third-party apps, or Custom apps).
   3. After choosing one or more apps, select Allow.

6. If you selected Block specific apps and allow all others, similarly search for and choose the apps that you want to block, and then select Block.

Select Save.

Edit an app permission policy

You can use the Teams admin center to edit the global policy or any custom policies that you've created.

1. Sign in to the Teams admin center and access Teams apps > Permission policies.
2. Select the policy by clicking to the left of the policy name, and then select Edit.
3. Make the changes to allow or block specific apps in each of the three categories.
4. Select Save.

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