A few months ago, we learned that Microsoft Teams was on the verge of shipping a controversial tracking feature to its video conferencing tool. Initially, it seemed as though it would act as a kind of lapdog for your boss, automatically reporting your exact live location when connected to your company’s Wi-Fi, for better or worse.
Well, the software giant has now updated how this tracking works in its Microsoft 365 Roadmap, specifically highlighting that it will ship as an opt-in experience, which means it’ll be disabled by default. Plus, it clarifies how it works with its prerequisites and limitations, and how organizations can configure it (via PCWorld).
Work location is an extension of the online-presence signal in Microsoft Teams and of the working hours control in the Microsoft 365 calendar. By bringing together working hours, work location and online presence, users can more easily find out where their coworkers are working from in addition to whether they’re available to connect.
Microsoft 365 documentation
What’s more, Teams users will be able to decide whether they want to share their location with coworkers. Microsoft categorically stated that it won’t have access to this data, as locations can only be shared within the users’ organization.
The company indicated that the feature supports two distinct location signals:
- Planned work location. User-entered intent. Users can create a recurring work plan in the Outlook or Teams calendar Settings, and one-off plans directly in the calendar grid.
- Actual work location. System‑detected or manually set location, based on check‑in.
So, as Microsoft describes it, “Automatic Update of work location” is a Teams-specific feature that helps its users “spend less time manually updating their status and more time enjoying in‑person collaboration.”
Teams will clear a user’s location at the end of their working hours, and shouldn’t be updated if they connect outside of their designated work hours. Plus, it only works if your buildings are set up for it, using compatible devices and wireless access points to pinpoint particular rooms. If this isn’t the case, it’ll only show whether a user is working remotely or, indeed, in the office.
🗨️ Teams’ tracking isn’t for keeping tabs, but for collaboration?
Finally, Microsoft has made it clear that “Automatic Update of work location” is not a tracking tool and will not be used to track employee attendance. “The feature is designed to facilitate collaboration, not compliance or oversight,” it says, which certainly seems reasonable.
Importantly, it shouldn’t deter users from manually setting or clearing their work location, nor will it give admins access to historical location data. Its rollout has been delayed several times, and it now seems the launch timeline has been pushed from this month to April 2026 again.
What are your thoughts on the new Teams location feature being advertised as a collaboration booster? Let me know in the comments!
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