Manage updates for Teams android devices in Pro Management portal (PMP)

Guidance for Teams device admins on transitioning updates management capabilities for Teams android device from the Teams admin center (TAC) to the Teams Rooms Pro Management portal (PMP).

Overview: what is changing

Management of Teams Android devices is moving from the Teams admin center (TAC) to the Teams Rooms Pro Management portal (PMP). PMP will become the primary destination for administrators to manage Teams Rooms on Android, Teams phones, Teams panels, and related update workflows.

This guide explains what administrators need to know about the update management experience for Teams Android devices in PMP, including:

  • Where to find update management settings and controls

  • How automatic and forced updates work

  • How TAC auto-update phases map to PMP update rings

  • Changes to update management behavior as functionality transitions from TAC to PMP etc.

Transition timeline and key dates

The transition period begins at general availability (GA) and continues until the deprecation of update management in TAC.

During the transition period:

  1. Auto-updates managed through PMP continue to follow the update cadence defined by TAC auto-update phases until you explicitly confirm that you want to manage updates using PMP rings.

  2. Devices assigned to the Validation, General, and Final phases in TAC continue to receive automatic updates within 0–15 days, 16–45 days, and 46–60 days, respectively.

  3. When you explicitly confirm update management through PMP, a one-time mapping assigns your devices to the corresponding default PMP update rings.

  4. After confirmation, administrators can no longer manage automatic updates through TAC. This action cannot be reversed.

For more information about explicitly confirming PMP for update management and the resulting changes to automatic update behavior, see the following sections.

Note

If automatic updates are disabled for your entire tenant in TAC (for example, due to backend-imposed restrictions), they will remain disabled in PMP. In this scenario, you must continue to update devices manually, as you do today. There is no service disruption and no change in update behavior for these tenants.

Before you begin

Supported Android device types

  • Teams Rooms on Android (MTR-A)
  • Teams panels
  • Teams phones

Where to manage Android updates in PMP

For a single device

Open the device details page and use the Updates tab to view available updates and trigger a manual update.

  1. Sign in to PMP.
  2. Go to Rooms or Phones.
  3. Select the device.
  4. Open the Updates tab.

Admins can see different types of updates available for given device, install them and view updates history on device.

For multiple devices

Use the Android update management experience to monitor rollout progress and manage update versions across rings.

  1. Sign in to PMP.
  2. Select Updates > Update management > Android updates to view update rollouts for all android eligible devices.

Admins can forcefully install particular update on multiple eligible devices by selecting them.

Key update management capabilities

Updates for Teams android devices are installed on devices in same way as updates for windows rooms in PMP and update Rings allow administrators control over when different devices receive particular update.

  1. Rollout behaviour: Updates in PMP are automatically rolled out to all devices (including android) as defined by corresponding update ring cadence. The details documentation on update rollout behavior in PMP is already explained here.

  2. Updates States: Each update is associated with update State. Update state defines the current state of update eg: whether it is installed, in-progress, paused etc. The updates states available in PMP are explained here.

  3. Visibility and Control: Automated updates in Pro Management orchestrate updates throughout your organization. However, you have the visibility and control to intervene if needed. The behavior is explained here.

  4. Update Rings: Rings are used to reduce the risk of issues derived from the installation of the updates. This is done by gradually deploying the update to the entire site. Details on how to setup and manage update rings in PMP is explained here. Admins can define rollout timeline for each ring or create custom rings and based on is their rollout plans assign rooms to these rings.

  5. Nightly maintenance window for updates:

    • All auto-updates for android devices occur only during the predefined nightly maintenance window defined for PMP, between 1 AM and 5 AM device local time.
    • If a nightly device reboot is scheduled, updates are pushed to the device after the reboot.

  6. Synced updates for paired devices:

    • PMP supports coordinated app updates for paired devices. If a front-of-room (FOR) device is paired with a touch console (TC), scheduling an app update on FOR will also updates the paired console to the same app version, if eligible.
    • Co-ordinated firmware updates are facilitated directly by OEMs, if eligible.

  7. Non-disruptive updates:

    • Updates will be installed on devices in non-disruptive manner. If the device is busy, update request will be postponed until device is free.

  8. Pause updates:

    • Required role: Admins must have 'Global administrator' role to pause updates in PMP.

    • Pause or resume a specific version across all eligible devices

      • You can pause and resume the rollout of an individual update version at Updates > Update management > Android updates by selecting each version. This works the same way as pausing updates for Windows devices in PMP. Learn more about controlling updates.

    • Pause or resume updates for all android devices across the entire tenant

      • Admins can pause updates for all android devices in PMP for this tenant (similar to TAC)
      • In order to do so, Navigate Updates > Update management > Android updates and click on Pause updates action. all auto-update rollouts for entire fleet of android devices in your tenant will be paused for 2 weeks.
      • Admins can Resume updates from same page at any time. After 2 weeks, updates will auto-resume and updates rollout will restart automatically.

Important

If you had already configured a tenant-wide update pause in TAC before general availability (GA), PMP will continue to honor that existing configured pause duration (and expiry date) until it expires. This is a one-time migration of the tenant-level pause setting from TAC to PMP during GA.

After this one-time migration:

  • Any new tenant-level pause actions must be configured in PMP.
  • Any requests to resume updates must also be performed in PMP.
  • Tenant-level pause actions configured in TAC will be deprecated and will no longer affect automatic updates managed through PMP update rings.

This deprecation takes effect immediately when update management capabilities become generally available in PMP.

Note

To configure or resume a tenant-level update pause in PMP, an administrator must have the Global Administrator role.

Moving android updates from auto-update phases in TAC to rings in PMP

As Android device management in PMP becomes generally available (GA), administrators are expected to manage updates for their Teams Android devices through PMP.

The transition from TAC to PMP introduces several changes to the update management experience. The following sections highlight these changes and provide guidance to help administrators prepare for the transition and effectively manage updates in PMP.

Important

PMP update rings and TAC auto-update phases use different update deployment systems. Rollout timelines vary between the two systems, and the ability to create and manage custom update rings is available only in PMP.

As part of general availability (GA),

  • Auto-updates via Teams admin center are stopped as of now (see an exception for admin agent on Teams Phone devices below).
  • By default, automatic updates for android devices are managed though PMP only. However, to avoid any disruption, auto-update rollouts for android devices will continue to follow auto-update phases and corresponding rollout durations defined as in TAC.
  • If admins wish to pause any automatic update, they have to use PMP.

If admins prefer to use PMP update rings for auto-update rollout,

  • Admins have to explicitely provide confirmation to use PMP update rings (see steps below).
  • This confirmation is irreversible. Once you confirm the transition to use PMP rings, any changes to auto-update phases in TAC will not have any effect on updates managed via PMP rings.
  • Once device management experience in TAC is deprecated starting september (see timelines here), Teams android devices will be by default updated as per rings defined in PMP.

For Teams Phone devices, management of updates through PMP requires Admin Agent version 830 or later. Thus -

  • Team phones devices running a lower version of Admin Agent than 830 will continue to receive Admin agent updates via TAC only.
  • All other app or firmware updates on these Phone devices will be paused until they updates to Admin agent version 830 or later. (Remember, updates for all other apps and firmwares are already stopped in TAC)
  • Once updated to Admin agent version 830 or later, auto-updates for phones devices for all apps and firmwares will be managed via PMP rings only.

To manage all your Teams android devices in PMP, Microsoft strongly recommends updating your devices to Admin Agent version 830 or later ASAP.

  1. During the TAC to PMP transition (defined as per above timelines), auto-updates in PMP follow the cadence defined by TAC auto-update phases until you explicitly confirm to use PMP rings.
  2. Admins can provide this explicit confirmation in PMP as below:
    1. Sign in to PMP.
    2. Select Updates > Ring Configuration > Rings and Provide Confirmation on Action required to manage auto-updates for android in Pro Management Portal.
    3. Once confirmed, auto-updates for Android devices will be managed through Pro management portal. This confirmation is irreversible and admins will not be able to manage updates via TAC.

Warning

This confirmation is irreversible. Once you confirm the transition to use PMP rings, any changes to auto-update phases in TAC will not have any effect on updates managed via PMP rings. Admins have manage their auto-updates using PMP rings (see an exception for admin agent on Teams Phone devices above)

To avoid any potential disruption, it is strongly advised to upgrade your Teams android devices to admin agent 830 or higher.

  1. Once you confirm, a one-time mapping of devices from TAC auto-update phases to rings in PMP takes place as below :

    • All MTR-A, panels, and touch console devices will be mapped from the Validation, General, and Final phases in TAC to the default corresponding Staging, General, and Executive rings in PMP.
    • All phones irrespective of their current auto-update phases in TAC, will be mapped to default General ring in PMP. (except for phones which are on admin agent version < 830 which will continue to be updated via TAC until TAC is deprecated or admin agent is updated to > 830).
    • Any new Phones devices, which gets updated to 830 will also get mapped to 'General' ring in PMP, irrespective of their update phase in TAC.
    • After the one-time mapping of devices to PMP rings, all devices follow the update duration as defined by their PMP rings.
    • You can adjust the auto-update rollout to suit your preferences either by moving around devices in different PMP ring or by changing the ring configurations.
    • For customers who are using PMP first time to manage updates for their devices, TAC auto-update phases map to PMP rings as below by default. Learn more about PMP update rings here.
    Phase (TAC) → Ring (PMP) PMP ring duration (default) TAC phase duration
    Validation → Staging 0–5 days 0–15 days
    General → General 7–12 days 16–45 days
    Final → Executive 14–19 days 46–60 days

Caution

As per default mapping explained above, Updates in PMP will roll out faster than in TAC. Adjust your auto-update ring durations as soon as you start managing devices through PMP to avoid an unexpectedly fast rollout.

Verify available updates and updates history

  1. For MTR-A and Panel devices :

    • Admins will be able to see only updates that are available or completed as soon as android updates management goes GA in PMP.

      Any historical updates that happen before GA in PMP via TAC, can only be in TAC updates activity/history.

  2. For Teams Phones :

    • Admins will be able to see available and historical updates for only phones devices which are on admin agent > 830 and if their tenant have provided explicit confirmation to manage updates via PMP.

      Historical updates happened via TAC for phones devices will not be visible in PMP.

Device type specific updates guidance

Teams phones

  1. Admin's will not be able to see phones or their historical updates happened in TAC on PMP unless they are updated to admin agent 830 or later. Once updated, only subsequent updates history will be visible in PMP.
  2. For Teams phone devices on Admin agent version lower than 830, Admin agent update will be pushed via TAC and admins will not be able to pause those admin agent updates in TAC.
  3. Unless admin agent is updated to 830 or later, Teams phone devices will not recieve any app or firmware updates.

Important

Android update management is already stopped via TAC. It is strongly advised to update your devices to latest admin agent (>830) and provide confirmation to manage updates for Phones devices via PMP. To facilitate this faster and avoid disruption, Microsoft may install latest admin agent on your devices in accelerated way as an exception to regular auto-update cadence.

Updates guidance for government cloud customers

For GCC cloud customers

  • As soon as android updates management goes live in PMP for GCC customers (see migration timeline here), updates management in PMP will work in the same way as public cloud customers as described above.
    • However, given the tight deprecation timeline for android device management in TAC, It is STRONGLY advised to update your devices to admin agent 830 or higher and provide confirmation to manage updates for android devices in PMP.

Important

If you do not start managing updates for your android devices in PMP before deprecation of corresponding experience in TAC (check migration timeline), you might lose updates management capability for your devices from Microsoft. To facilitate this faster and avoid disruption, Microsoft may install latest admin agent on your devices in accelerated way as an exception to regular auto-update cadence.

For GCCH and DoD cloud customers

  • As soon as android updates management goes live in PMP for GCCH and DoD customers (see migration timeline here), updates management in PMP will work in the same way as public cloud customers as described above.
    • However, given the tight deprecation timeline for android device management in TAC, It is STRONGLY advised to update your devices to admin agent 830 or higher and provide confirmation to manage updates for android devices in PMP.

Important

Please note TAC does not have auto-update capability to auto-update your android devices in GCCH and DoD clouds with admin agent 830 or higher. This means, It is up to admins to get their devices up-to-date with admin agent version 830 or higher by manually updating their device much before deprecation timeline.

If you do not start managing updates for your android devices in PMP before deprecation of corresponding experience in TAC (check migration timeline), you might lose updates management capability for your devices from Microsoft.
To facilitate this faster and avoid this disruption, Microsoft may install latest admin agent on your devices in accelerated way as an exception to regular auto-update cadence.

Updates guidance for End of support devices

Microsoft do not actively support updates management for end of support devices. We strongly recommend such devices to manually updated with Admin agent version 830 or higher to avoid any management disruption. Microsoft does not guarantee to auto-update these devices since they are already end of support. Thus, It is up to admins to do necessary, do manual updates and avoid potential management disruption.

Frequently asked questions

Q: What types of updates can I manage from PMP for Android devices?

A: All firmware and app updates that are supported in TAC are also supported in PMP for managing updates.

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