If you’re working extensively within the Microsoft 365 ecosystem, especially SharePoint Online and Microsoft Teams Apps, you have probably heard about the news about the SharePoint Add-In Retirement. If your organization uses our apps to manage their training and events, rest assured, we have you covered!
First things first, our apps are here to stay 💼
No need to panic! Most of you already use our apps without the SharePoint online add-in and the user interface will stay as you know it 🙂. Plus, we’re actively working on the new backend, set to launch in Q2/2024. This means not only will our app continue to serve you as usual, but it will also bring substantial improvements such as:
- Enhanced App Performance: With the new backend for our apps will be faster than ever.
- Streamlined Enrollment Handling: Enrollments will be processed with faster and more secure.
- Improved Handling of large Events: You will be able to configure your own high-performance email processor for managing large registration volumes during major events and bypass Microsoft Exchange’s performance throttling.
- Tailored Flexibility: Customized options, including throttling limits, will be at your fingertips to meet your organization’s unique needs.
We publish and update our documentation on regular basis. If you’re curious and want to stay informed, feel free to check our updates, timeline and how-tos in our pre-release documentation: How do I upgrade from SharePoint Add-in to a Microsoft 365 App?
So, if you’ve been considering giving our apps a test drive, now is the perfect time! Downloading and exploring them has never been so easy. Thank to our BOT-guided installation you can already deploy it without the SharePoint Online Add-in. If you want more information, check how to add our Apps here for Employee Training Management & for Event Management.
Want to Know About the Timeline? ⏰
Of course! Here’s the schedule including Microsoft’s timeline (source: Microsoft):
- Q2/2024 Our brand new apps will be available for download
- Starting July 1st, 2024: Microsoft announced that existing tenants like you won’t be able to install our old SharePoint add-ins from the classic SharePoint Store (public Marketplace) any more. Instead you can now download our new apps only (highly recommended, you will love it!)
- From November 1st, 2024: According to Microsoft, new tenants will not be able use SharePoint Add-Ins, regardless of their origins (public marketplace, private tenant catalog). Existing tenants like you will still be able to use SharePoint add-ins.
- By April 2nd, 2026: Microsoft will remove the ability to use SharePoint Add-Ins for existing tenants. Until then you’ll need to have our new app installed.
Therefore, we would encourage you to have the new SharePoint|sapiens app ready by October 2024 latest. We’ll keep you posted here: How do I upgrade from SharePoint Add-in to a Microsoft 365 App?
What Should You Do?
Currently, you have two options:
- No immediate action is required. Keep using and adding our apps just as you always have. We’ll keep you in the loop once the upgrade path is officially available andyou’ll have plenty of time until April 2nd, 2026, to switch to our new app. We are working to make this a smooth shift.
- If you can’t wait to upgrade, let us know! We’ll make it available for you immediately so that you’re one of the first to upgrade. You can already take a sneak peek of how the upgrade path looks Upgrade SharePoint Add-Ins to Microsoft 365 apps (sharepointsapiens.com) it’s all ready 🤓.
📚 For more details on this retirement, you can check out the Microsoft blog article: SharePoint Add-In retirement in Microsoft 365 – Microsoft Community Hub. Additionally, learn more on the SharePoint Framework here: Overview of the SharePoint Framework (SPFx) | Microsoft Learn
We’re here to help with any questions you may have. Feel free to reach out anytime to support@sharepointsapiens.com. Your satisfaction is our priority, and we are excited to assist you as we move forward together.