Evidence status
One current report, one unresolved documentation gap
Caschys Blog reported that Microsoft Teams Live Chat would be retired by mid-October 2026, that support and message forwarding would end in early October, and that administrators should remove the widget by 5 October.
The article links to Microsoft Learn, but the public setup article visible on 10 August still explains how the service works and does not display those retirement dates. We have not found a publicly linkable Microsoft retirement notice yet.
Timeline
What happened before the retirement report
| Date | Event | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| May 2026 | Microsoft renamed Live Chat to Customer Connect | Archived Message Center notice; name change only |
| By mid-July 2026 | Appointment booking rollout completed | Archived Message Center notice |
| 7 Aug 2026 | Retirement and October deadlines reported | Caschys Blog |
| 10 Aug 2026 | Public setup documentation still accessible | Microsoft Learn |
Scope
What is affected — and what is not
- Affected according to the report: the customer-facing website widget that routes visitors into Microsoft Teams.
- Not affected: Microsoft Teams itself, internal Teams chats, channels, meetings or the Teams platform.
- Existing conversations are reported to remain in their Teams locations; verify your own retention and export obligations.
- Customer Connect is the newer name for the same feature, not a separate long-term successor.
Immediate actions
Five checks to run now
- 01
Confirm the tenant notice
Search the Microsoft 365 Message Center for Live Chat and Customer Connect, record the message ID and scope.
- 02
Inventory the deployment
Search sites, tag managers and templates for the widget, including a script element with the ID chatbot.
- 03
Preserve the current state
Record configuration, business hours, routing, owners, retention rules and screenshots before changing code.
- 04
Run a parallel proof of concept
Test a replacement channel with real browser-to-agent round trips, mobile use, offline behaviour and escalation.
- 05
Schedule removal and rollback
Remove the old widget only after acceptance, keep a reversible change and monitor every affected page.
Update policy
How this page will change
We record the retrieval date and separate Microsoft documentation, archived tenant notices, vendor material and editorial reporting. A public Microsoft retirement notice will replace the provisional evidence label as soon as it can be cited directly.
Your tenant’s Message Center remains the operational source for your organisation because rollout, eligibility and deadlines can be tenant-specific.