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IT & AI brief, 28 October 2026: Entra SMS and voice retirement date, SharePoint Server mobile

Microsoft sets 1 February 2027 for retiring Microsoft-provided SMS and voice sign-in in Entra ID, SharePoint Server access in mobile apps ends 27 November, and Outlook's Join button will need HTTPS links.

By EpiFive Editorial TeamHow the brief is made

The most important change today is a firm date for Entra ID: Microsoft-provided SMS and voice authentication starts retiring on 1 February 2027, and users who rely on it alone will have to register a passkey. A smaller set of Microsoft 365 changes with November and December dates also landed on 27 October. We found no new CISA or vendor security advisories we could confirm on a primary source for this window.

Entra ID: Microsoft-provided SMS and voice retirement begins 1 February 2027

What changed: MC1528000 (27 October) is a reminder that Microsoft-provided SMS and voice authentication in Entra ID retires, starting 1 February 2027 and finishing in early February. Users who have another registered method keep using it. Users whose only method is SMS or voice get one last sign-in with it, then must register a passkey to continue.

Who is affected: Organisations and users that depend on Microsoft-provided SMS or voice, above all people with no other method. Customer-managed telecom providers set up through the Microsoft Security Store are not affected.

What to do: Report on users whose only method is SMS or voice, help them register a passkey or another supported method, and brief the help desk. If you must keep SMS or voice, set up a customer-managed provider before the rollout. Guides: /blog/entra-sms-voice-mfa-retirement-migration and /blog/passkeys-entra-id-deployment-guide.

SharePoint Server access in the mobile apps ends 27 November

What changed: MC1528013 says the SharePoint mobile apps for iOS and Android will stop providing access to SharePoint Server from 27 November 2026. Afterwards they support SharePoint Online only. It applies to Worldwide, GCC, GCC High and DoD.

Who is affected: Organisations whose users open on-premises SharePoint Server sites or files through the SharePoint mobile apps.

What to do: Tell those users now and update your internal documentation and support articles. Check whether anyone depends on the app for on-premises content, and agree an alternative, such as the mobile browser, before the date. Tenants using only SharePoint Online need no action.

What changed: MC1528007 says the Join button in Outlook will appear only for meetings that carry an HTTPS join URL. Meetings with only an HTTP link will not show it. The change takes effect the week of 30 November 2026, with rollout from late November to late December, across Worldwide, GCC, GCC High and DoD.

Who is affected: Organisations whose meeting providers, add-ins or custom integrations generate HTTP-only join links. Microsoft expects most tenants to be unaffected.

What to do: If you use third-party meeting providers or in-house integrations, create a test invitation and confirm the join link starts with https. Ask the provider or integration owner to fix any HTTP links before the change arrives.

Teams: two presenters can share at once, and external presenters join event chats

What changed: MC1528014 lets a second presenter share a screen or window without the first one stopping, on desktop and web. It is on by default, organizers get a per-meeting option, and admins get a tenant-level control. Rollout runs from late November to mid-December 2026. Separately, MC1528011 lets external presenters join the event group chat, from early November to early December 2026. It needs the Green room option and external user collaboration.

Who is affected: Meeting organizers, presenters and Teams admins. The event chat change also opens a new cross-tenant chat path.

What to do: Decide whether simultaneous sharing should stay on and set the tenant control before rollout. For event chat, check your External collaboration settings in the Teams admin center and confirm both organisations allow external access.

Search Analytics views leave the Microsoft 365 admin center

What changed: MC1528009 removes the Summary, User/Query and Answer Analytics views under Search & intelligence, then Insights, in the admin center. They cover search in Microsoft365.com, Teams, Outlook and Office apps, and Windows Search work results. SharePoint Search Analytics and Connector Analytics stay. Rollout runs from late November to mid-December 2026 for Worldwide and GCC.

Who is affected: Admins who use those reports, including any filters, exports or reporting that rely on them.

What to do: Find out who uses the views, export any data you need, and move dashboards or processes elsewhere. Microsoft says historical data availability is still to be confirmed, so do not count on it. Users can still search normally. If you do not use these reports, no action is needed.

Also worth knowing

  • Authenticator on Android gets better backup and restore guidance from mid-January 2027; work and school accounts are still not backed up: MC1528006.
  • Canadian time zone changes still take effect on 1 November, as covered in the previous brief: MC1526468.
  • Copilot connector enforcement of Allowed agent types starts 30 October: MC1454973.