Music Licensing
The latest Music Licensing coverage — news, analysis, and updates from the WindowsNews.AI desk.
Microsoft Teams to Let Teachers Assign Different Materials to Groups in a Single Assignment—Coming 2026
Microsoft's roadmap reveals a 2026 update to Teams for Education that will let teachers attach different resources, instructions, and attachments to separate student groups within a single assignment—eliminating the need to clone assignments for differentiated learning.
BlackBerry AtHoc 7.22 Taps Entra ID to Keep Emergency Contacts Current
BlackBerry AtHoc Cloud 7.22 replaces its manual user sync tool with automated Microsoft Entra ID synchronization, ensuring emergency alert contact lists stay current without administrator intervention. The update also adds alert-response comments for richer field feedback. IT admins must review attribute mappings, test lifecycle changes, and verify compliance before decommissioning the old sync client.
Intel Grants Startup RosaicLabs Deep Access to Atom CPU Blueprints—What It Means for Custom x86 PCs
Intel has licensed deep Atom processor design code to startup RosaicLabs, a rare move that could enable custom x86 chips for robotics, edge computing, and industrial devices. This analysis explains what the RTL license means, who stands to benefit, and why no immediate action is required for Windows users or IT pros.
Flagged Emails and Attachments Now Get a Visual Boost in the New Outlook
Microsoft has added several new conditions to conditional formatting in the new Outlook and Outlook on the web, allowing users to highlight emails by size, read status, attachments, flags, categories, or importance. This update helps surface critical messages visually without moving them, bridging a long-standing feature gap with classic Outlook. Users can find the settings under Mail > Conditional Formatting.
Outlook Now Lets You Automate Flag and Category Cleanup with New Rule Actions
Microsoft has added four new rule actions to Outlook on the web and new Outlook for Windows—Clear Categories, Clear Flag, Complete Flag, and Flag Message—enabling automatic management of follow-up flags and category labels. The server-side actions help users and admins automate email triage without manual cleanup. The update closes a long-standing gap in the new Outlook’s automation capabilities and is now generally available.
OneDrive's Frustrating 'Path Too Long' Sync Error Finally Gets a Guided Fix—in 2026
Microsoft is planning a guided fix for OneDrive's path-too-long sync errors, according to a new Microsoft 365 Roadmap entry. The feature, expected in September 2026, will show users exactly how many characters over the 520-character limit a file path is and offer a step-by-step way to rename or move the item directly from the sync client. Until then, users must continue manual workarounds like shortening folder names.
Microsoft: Rebuild Outlook Search Index or Expand Cache Before You Repair Office
Microsoft has refreshed its guidance for fixing Outlook search problems, emphasizing that rebuilding the Windows Search index or expanding offline mail cache should come before repairing Office. The recommendations differ for classic and new Outlook, reflecting their distinct search architectures. This service piece outlines the precise steps for each version.
Tesla’s 5G Patent Ruling Could Change the Price of Every Connected Windows Device
The UK Supreme Court has revived Tesla’s case against the Avanci 5G patent pool, ruling that pool licensing fees can be challenged on FRAND grounds even if the pool operator never made a FRAND pledge. This procedural win could lead to lower per-device royalty costs for 5G-connected hardware, including Windows laptops and tablets. IT administrators should monitor the case as it may influence future licensing costs for fleets of connected devices.
Tesla's Summer Update Brings Microsoft Teams and Google Meet to Your Driver's Seat
Tesla's 2026.26 Summer Update lets drivers join Microsoft Teams, Google Meet, and Discord calls via the in-car browser, while adding smarter navigation, Grok voice control of vehicle functions, and a suite of cabin entertainment upgrades. The update is rolling out now to eligible vehicles, with webcam support limited to AMD-powered cars.
Teams Admins Can Soon Force Attendees to Accept a Custom Message Before Joining
Microsoft will let Teams admins require attendees to accept a custom message before joining meetings starting September 2026. The tenant-level policy aims to enforce meeting terms and disclosures but requires careful planning by IT. Organizations should prepare now to avoid join friction.
Microsoft Whiteboard Countdown: Export Personal Boards by Sept 5, Enterprise Migration Ends Aug 22
Microsoft is retiring Whiteboard for personal accounts: editing stops August 22, 2026, and all personal boards are permanently deleted September 5 unless exported. The same August 22 date ends the migration tooling that moves older Azure-hosted enterprise boards to OneDrive, and the standalone Whiteboard app loses support on September 14. Home users must export static copies now; IT admins need to inventory and force-migrate legacy Azure boards before the deadline or lose the data.
Apple Wants to Peek at Why the CIA and FBI Bought iPhones—The DOJ Just Said No
The DOJ asks a court to block Apple from obtaining internal iPhone procurement records from 14 federal agencies, arguing they deserve greater legal protections. The fight could influence how enterprise device selection rationales are used in antitrust cases.
Microsoft Retires Viva Connections Legacy States, Moves Multi-Home Admin to SharePoint
Microsoft has announced that starting August 2026, management of multiple Viva Connections home sites will move from the Microsoft 365 admin center to the SharePoint admin center. The change retires the legacy draft and enabled states, upgrading existing Connections experiences to full SharePoint Home sites and simplifying administration. Admins should inventory current configurations and update documentation before the rollout.