Take Control Over Your Copilot Edit Suggestions in Visual Studio

Visual Studio has just rolled out enhanced settings that let developers fine-tune when and how GitHub Copilot code suggestions appear—whether that's pausing suggestions while typing or triggering them only with a keystroke. This update aims to strike a better balance between helpful AI assistance and keeping your coding flow uninterrupted by unwanted distractions.

Here’s what you need to know:

• Pause suggestions while typing

  Keep your flow uninterrupted. Suggestions will only appear after you pause, so you can type freely without constant pop-ups. Simply go to Tools -> Options → IntelliCode → Advanced and turn on wait for pauses in typing before showing whole line completions.

• Request completions only when you’re ready

  Disable automatic completions and trigger them manually with shortcuts like Alt + , or Alt + .. Perfect for developers who prefer fewer distractions.

• Preview edit suggestions on demand

  No more auto-inserts. Review the next edit suggestion only when you click the margin indicator or press Tab. Accept with Tab or dismiss with ESC—you’re in charge.

• Accept code in smaller pieces

  Take partial control of suggestions. Accept one word at a time with Ctrl + → or one line at a time with Ctrl + ↓, tailoring the output to your needs.

Visual Studio Expands Chat with Custom AI Model Integration

Microsoft has announced that Visual Studio Chat now supports third-party language models via API keys from providers like OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google—offering developers enhanced choice, customization, and control. This marks a significant shift, letting users seamlessly switch between built-in Copilot models and their own preferred AI models right inside the IDE.

Here’s what you need to know:

• Why it matters

  • Try the latest models as soon as they’re released

  • Customize models to fit your security, infrastructure, or performance needs

  • Manage usage, quotas, and billing directly with your provider

  • Switch seamlessly between Copilot’s built-in models and your own

• How to set it up

  1. Open the Chat Window in Visual Studio.

  2. From the model picker, select Manage models.

  3. Pick your provider and enter your API key.

  4. Choose from the preset options or add a custom model name.

Power Platform Introduces Public Preview of Monitor Alerts

Microsoft has introduced Monitor Alerts in Power Platform, now available in public preview. The new feature gives admins the ability to set health thresholds and receive alerts when apps or flows begin to slip. This update aims to help organizations respond faster and prevent issues before they escalate.

Here’s what you need to know:

• Why Monitor Alerts Matters

  Define healthy metrics so you only get alerted when it counts. This means fewer surprises, faster response times, and more focus on fixing issues instead of hunting for them.

• Key Details

  Available in public preview today for tenant and environment admins—no setup required. You’ll find it in the Power Platform Admin Center.

• Supported Alerts

  Monitor Alerts is currently available for canvas apps, model-driven apps, cloud flows, and desktop flows.

• How to Use It

  In the Power Platform Admin Center, go to Monitor > Alerts, then create your alert. Set conditions (metric, threshold, evaluation window), then add recipients, then save & test. Adjust thresholds as needed to balance sensitivity vs. noise.

• Best practices

  ✔ Align thresholds with SLAs

  ✔ Alert on trends, not noise

  ✔ Route alerts smartly

  ✔ Pair with recommendations

  ✔ Review and refine regularly

Microsoft Enhances Dynamics 365 Contact Center with Expanded SMS Reach via Mobile Numbers & Short Codes

Microsoft has introduced two powerful updates to Dynamics 365 Contact Center—SMS mobile numbers and SMS short codes—via Azure Communication Services. These enhancements give businesses more flexibility and reach in how they connect with customers through messaging.

Here’s what you need to know:

• SMS Mobile Numbers (Expanded Availability)

  ACS-based SMS is now supported in 10 additional countries: Australia, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Ireland, Latvia, Netherlands, Poland, Sweden, and the UK.

  This means organizations can:

  • Enable two-way SMS for conversational customer support

  • Use local mobile numbers to boost trust and deliverability

  • Seamlessly integrate with Dynamics 365 Contact Center for easy setup & management

• ACS SMS Short Codes

  Now available in the US, Canada, and the UK, short codes make it easier to send high-volume, compliant messaging. With this update, organizations can:

  • Use short, memorable numbers directly in Contact Center (no third-party SMS provider required)

  • Simplify provisioning and management within the Microsoft + Azure ecosystem

  • Ensure compliance and security, with carrier-approved short codes reducing spam risks

What’s New in Power BI: August 2025 Feature Summary

Microsoft has rolled out the August 2025 Power BI update, introducing fresh capabilities across Copilot, reporting, and modeling. The release continues to build on AI-driven insights while adding new previews and features designed to make analytics more seamless and collaborative.

Here’s what’s new:

• Copilot & AI

  Copilot is now supported in embedded Power BI reports for SharePoint Online, allowing users to interact with the Copilot Report Pane directly within their embedded reports.

• Reporting

  Org apps (preview) are now supported in workspaces with Pro licenses. Create multiple org apps per workspace to deliver tailored report experiences for leaders, managers, or cross-business initiatives.

• Modeling

  You can now use Mirrored Azure Databricks catalogs as a data source to bring Direct Lake tables into a semantic model in Power BI Desktop via OneLake.

• Developer API

  When saving a Live Connect report as a PBIP, the definition.pbir file now includes a simplified connection string with the XMLA endpoint and semantic model ID.

• Visualizations

  The new Powerviz Date Picker brings a modern calendar view, presets, pop-up mode, default selection, themes, and more — making it a must-have date slicer.

View the full list here.

Power Pages Now Allows Full SPA Development via GitHub Spark and Codespaces

Microsoft has introduced a streamlined workflow that enables developers to build and deploy single-page applications in Power Pages using GitHub Spark and Codespaces. The integration allows authors to generate a site through natural-language prompts, customize it directly in a browser-based Codespace, and deploy it to Power Pages—all without local setup.

Here’s what you need to know:

• What is GitHub Spark and Codespaces?

  GitHub Spark uses AI to generate SPAs from simple natural language prompts, while Codespaces offers a ready-to-use cloud development environment for instant coding anywhere.

• Why host in Power Pages?

  Power Pages is a secure, scalable, enterprise-ready platform designed to simplify modern web development and integration with the Microsoft ecosystem.

• Power Pages capabilities in hosting

  Enjoy AI-assisted site creation, instant cloud-based editing, seamless deployment, and built-in security, governance, analytics, plus native Power Platform integration.

• How to host your site in Power Pages

  Generate your SPA in GitHub Spark, customize it in Codespaces using React or your chosen framework, then deploy with pac pages upload-code-site.

Microsoft Launches Monitor in Power Platform to Deliver Real-Time App Health Insights

Microsoft has announced the general availability of Monitor in Power Platform, designed to provide effortless visibility and insights for apps and flows. The update aims to help users stay informed and address issues more proactively.

Here’s what you need to know:

• What is Monitor?

  Monitor gives makers real-time performance and health insights for the apps they own or co-author directly in make.powerapps.com. Admins and governance teams can also use it in the Power Platform admin center to oversee resources across tenants.

• What’s included?

  Get operational health metrics and tailored recommendations for canvas apps, model-driven apps, cloud flows, and desktop flows.

• Why use Monitor?

  Quickly detect underperforming resources, understand the impact on users and business processes, and follow guided steps to fix issues before they escalate.

• How to get started

  Monitor is generally available and enabled by default — no setup needed. Just start monitoring today.

GPT-5 Arrives in Visual Studio via GitHub Copilot

OpenAI’s latest model, GPT-5, is now available in GitHub Copilot for Visual Studio, delivering faster responses and improved code assistance. Developers can explore how this upgrade enhances productivity and coding workflows in the full announcement below.

Here’s what you need to know:

• What does GPT-5 do?

  It’s faster, smarter, and better at understanding your code, helping you turn ideas into working solutions with less friction.

• Why it matters to you

  You’ll see sharper reasoning for complex problems, cleaner and more maintainable code, and clearer explanations so you know exactly what’s changing.

• Availability

  GPT-5 began rolling out to all paid Copilot plans on August 12, 2025, and is available in both Agent Mode and Ask Mode. If it’s not showing up in your model picker yet, hang tight — it’s arriving to everyone soon.

• For Copilot Enterprise and Business users

  Your admin just needs to switch on the GPT-5 policy in settings, and you’ll be able to pick it right inside Visual Studio.

Visual Studio 2015 Reaches End of Support — Time to Upgrade

Microsoft has issued a reminder that extended support for Visual Studio 2015 ends on October 14, 2025—after that, no further updates or security patches will be available. Developers are urged to migrate to Visual Studio 2022, which brings significant enhancements including AI-assisted coding and built-in Git and GitHub support.

Here are the dates you need to know:

• Visual Studio 2015 – Extended support for all versions, including associated products, runtimes, and components, will officially end on October 14, 2025, after which no updates will be provided.

• Visual Studio 2017 (version 15.9) – This version will remain in extended support until April 13, 2027, during which only security-related fixes will be released.

• Visual Studio 2019 (version 16.11) – This version will remain in extended support until April 10, 2028, with updates limited solely to security fixes.

• Visual Studio 2022 (version 17.14) – Mainstream support for this version will end on January 12, 2027, transitioning to extended support until January 13, 2032, which will include only security fixes.

  • Version 17.10 LTSC will be supported until January 13, 2026, after which no updates will be provided.

  • Version 17.12 will be supported until July 14, 2026, after which no updates will be provided.

Microsoft Adds GPT-5 to Power Apps Generative Pages for Smarter, Leaner Page Creation

Power Apps generative pages just got a major boost with the addition of GPT-5, delivering sharper output, faster builds, and more reliable results. A new model selector now lets makers choose the AI that best fits their project needs, unlocking greater flexibility and control.

Here’s what you need to know:

• GPT-5 Arrives

  Released on August 7, 2025, GPT-5 is now available in vibe coding, delivering better code quality, fewer failures, and faster performance.

• Model Selector Added

  You can now switch between GPT-4.1 and GPT-5—choosing the model that best fits your project needs.

• Quality-of-Life Enhancements

  • This update also packs in usability upgrades, including:

  • Expanded context window for fewer missed requirements in long sessions

  • Better fallback styling to preserve app design

  • Image attachment retention during retries

  • More helpful error messages for invalid requests

  • Warnings when another user edits the same page

  • Improved undo/restore for error scenarios