Configure default options for Teams app

It’s common for an app to support multiple scenarios in Microsoft Teams, but you might have designed it with a specific scope and capability in mind. Teams UI helps users to identify the default scope to install your app.

When a user installs an app from Microsoft Teams Store or uploads a custom app, the user has the option to open the app in either personal or shared scope:

• Personal scope: If an app supports personal scope, the Open option in the scope selection dialog allows to open the app in personal scope.

• Shared scope: If an app supports shared scopes, all the supported scopes such as channel, chat, and meeting are listed to select the required scope. If your app is configured with a default install scope, a Recommended label appears adjacent to the respective scope.

  👁 Screenshot of the scope selection dialog to select the required scope to use the app.
  

If your app's primary capability is a bot and intended to work in personal scope, you can set the default capability as bot and also set the default scope as personal.

Configure your app's default install scope

You can use default install scope to specify whether your app is available for personal, channel, chat, or meeting scopes. When you configure the default install scope, you can set only one scope at a time. For more information, see app manifest.

To configure the default install scope in your app manifest:

1. Open your app manifest and add the defaultInstallScope property.

2. Set default install scope value as either personal, team, groupChat, or meetings.

   "defaultInstallScope": "meetings",
   

App install user experience

App installation within the configured default install scope such as personal, channel, chat, or meeting scopes is quick and straightforward. The following procedures outline the user flow for installing an app within the configured scope:

Configure the default capability for shared scopes

Configure the default capability when your app is installed for a team, meeting, or groupchat. For more information, see app manifest.

To configure details in app manifest:

1. Open your app manifest and add the defaultGroupCapability property to it.

2. Set a value of team, groupchat, or meetings.

3. For the selected group capability, the available group capabilities are bot, tab, or connector.

   Note

   You can select only one default capability, bot, tab, or connector for the selected group capability.

   "defaultGroupCapability": {
    "team": "bot",
    "groupchat": "bot",
    "meetings": "tab"
   }
   

Configure your app's default landing capability

You can configure the default landing capability for an app that supports both bot and tab capabilities in personal scope. Based on this configuration, the app opens either as a bot or a tab by default.

You can configure any one of the following:

• Bot as default landing capability
• Tab as default landing capability

Bot as default landing capability

Configure your app to open as a bot by default:

"staticTabs":[
 {
 "entityId":"conversations",
 "scopes":[
 "personal"
 ]
 },
 {
 "entityId": "com.contoso.helloworld.hellotab",
 "name": "Hello Tab",
 "contentUrl": "https://p4p9bji0-7130.inc1.devtunnels.ms/hello",
 "scopes": [
 "personal"
 ]
 }
]

Tab as default landing capability

Configure your app to open as a tab by default:

"staticTabs": [
 {
 "entityId": "com.contoso.helloworld.hellotab",
 "name": "Hello Tab",
 "contentUrl": "https://p4p9bji0-7130.inc1.devtunnels.ms/hello",
 "scopes": [
 "personal"
 ]
 },
 {
 "entityId":"conversations",
 "scopes":[
 "personal"
 ]
 }
]

 "staticTabs":[
 {
 "entityId": "com.contoso.helloworld.hellotab",
 "name": "Hello Tab",
 "contentUrl": "https://p4p9bji0-7130.inc1.devtunnels.ms/hello",
 "scopes": [
 "personal"
 ]
 }
 ]

The staticTabs property is also used to pin personal tabs and reorder tabs. For more information, see app manifest.

Block apps by default for users until an admin approves

To enhance the user experience of a Teams app, at times, IT administrators must intervene before users use the app. For example, consider a help desk app created by Contoso Electronics for Teams. To ensure the app functions properly, Contoso Electronics wants customers to configure specific properties of the app first.

To ensure that IT admins perform the relevant tasks, developers can block an app for users until an admin allows the app. To block the app by default, set the defaultBlockUntilAdminAction property to true in the app manifest file. When the property is set to true, the status of the app in Teams admin center is Blocked by publisher in the Manage apps page.

👁 Screenshot shows an app blocked by publisher.

The admins can do their due diligence about your app and they can read the before they allow their users to use your app. For example, the admins can purchase the required licenses and distribute the licenses before allowing users to use the app. To allow the app with Blocked by publisher status, an admin can select Allow in the Manage apps page in Teams admin center.

👁 Screenshot shows the Allow option for the app blocked by publisher.

If you don't want your app to be blocked by default, update the defaultBlockUntilAdminAction setting to false and submit your updated app for publishing. After we publish the new version of your app, it's allowed by default.

Code sample

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