What's new in the 8x8 Work for Desktop/Web 8.25 release?

In the 8.25 release, we have introduced enhancements that improve usability, accessibility, and compliance protection. This update ensures a more inclusive experience and safeguards your SMS communication channels from disruptions.

SMS content filtering in 8x8 Work

To comply with mobile carrier regulations, 8x8 Work for Desktop now automatically filters outbound SMS messages for restricted content. This helps prevent delivery issues and protects your SMS campaigns from suspension or delays.

8x8’s new SMS filtering helps prevent noncompliant messages from reaching carriers, protecting your brand, avoiding penalties, and improving deliverability.

How it works

All SMS messages sent through the 8x8 Work app are automatically scanned for restricted keywords before delivery:

  • Real-time scan: Messages are checked instantly for restricted terms.

  • Blocking and alert: If restricted content is found, the message is blocked and a system alert notifies the user.

    Blocked message alert: If a message contains a restricted term, it is blocked, and a system notification appears.

  • No user penalty: Only the message is blocked. Users can edit and resend it.
  • Carrier protection: Blocked messages are not delivered to carriers, reducing RCA triggers.
  • Updated keyword list: The 8x8 Fraud team maintains and updates the list based on compliance guidelines and carrier feedback.

Note: This filtering applies only to SMS sent from the 8x8 Work app and not from 8x8 Contact Center.

What to do when a message is blocked

If users see a blocked message alert, they should:

  • Review the message for prohibited terms.
  • Remove or revise any flagged content.
  • Optionally, forward the message to their IT administrator, including the full text.

The 8x8 Fraud team will:

  • Review the flagged content.
  • Update the keyword list if needed.

Restricted content categories

SMS messages may be blocked if they contain:

  • Profanity or offensive language
  • Sexual content
  • Hate speech or discriminatory language
  • Alcohol-related promotions
  • Tobacco or vaping-related content
  • Illegal drugs (for example, cannabis, CBD, THC)
  • Firearms, weapons, or ammunition

Important! Even if cannabis is legal in some states, it is banned under federal law and not permitted in SMS messaging.

To learn more about restricted categories, see Was Your SMS Message Not Delivered?.

To learn more details about SMS content filtering, see SMS content filtering in 8x8 Work apps.

Other updates and enhancements

Seamless Status updates

  • Users can now update their availability status without delays or sync issues, ensuring real-time accuracy for colleagues and customers.

Enhanced Admin Control: Pause Assigned Queues

  • 8x8 Work administrators can now control whether users are allowed to pause their assigned queues. This enhancement supports compliance needs in regulated environments by preventing users from pausing queues when they are not permitted to do so. To learn how to control whether users are allowed to pause their call queues, see About system requirements.

Accessibility improvements

  • Enhanced screen reader support in 8x8 Frontdesk and General areas offers a smoother experience for users relying on assistive technologies.

Bug fixes

  • Various performance and stability enhancements have been made to improve reliability and ensure a more seamless user experience.

What's new in the 8x8 Work for Desktop/Web 8.24 release?

The 8.24 release introduces enhanced administrative controls and improved user experience, with a focus on AI message handling, interface consistency, and accessibility.

Clear AI-generated replies - Compose with AI

You now have more control when using AI-assisted messaging. The Compose with AI feature includes a new Clear message option that lets you remove AI-generated content before sending.

Benefits

  • Remove suggestions that don’t match your tone or intent.
  • Avoid sending inaccurate or incomplete AI drafts.

How to Use

  • Click Clear message in the composer window to delete the generated reply before sending.

Click "Clear message" to remove AI-generated content before sending

To learn how to craft expressive messages with Compose with AI, see Use IM and SMS messages - Create expressive messages with Compose with AI.

Note: AI tools and chat summaries are off by default. Admins can enable the AI feature in the 8x8 Admin Console under Work Apps Settings > General by switching the Allow the AI feature to ON. For details, see the 8x8 Admin Console - Configure Work Apps Settings.

Other updates and enhancements

Accessibility improvements

  • Enhanced accessibility for screen readers in areas such as Messaging and General.

Bug fixes

  • Various performance and stability improvements to enhance reliability.

What's new in the 8x8 Work for Desktop/Web 8.23 release?

In the 8x8 Work for Desktop 8.23 release, we have introduced enhanced administrative controls and improved compliance for Video Elevation. Key updates include:

Control over the Do not disturb status visibility

Admins can now manage whether users can view or set the Do not disturb (DND) status and calendar-based availability in the 8x8 Work for Desktop app. This helps ensure agents stay reachable for queued calls in 8x8 Engage and prevents misuse of DND to block call routing.

Configuration Options

Admins can configure DND visibility in two ways:

  • Globally via the 8x8 Admin Console: Navigate to Work Apps Settings > Allow users to set Do not Disturb under Status.

    Note: By default, the setting is enabled. Disable the setting to hide DND status and calendar-driven options for all users. To learn how to manage settings for 8x8 Work applications, see Configure Work Apps Settings.

  • Per User via configuration file: Update the user’s 8x8-work-config.json:

    json

    {

    “allow-to-not-disturb”: false

    }

    Note: Deploy this file to the user’s machine only after setting the preference. To learn more about setting system requirements per user by 8x8 Work admins, see About system requirements.

When DND is disabled, users will no longer see:

  • Do not disturb status on their Profile Page

    Administrators can control the visibility of the 'Do not disturb' presence status on the user Profile Page

  • Do not disturb preview when hovering over the 8x8 Work icon in the system taskbar.

    Administrators can control the visibility of the ‘Do not disturb’ status on the preview app when hovering over the 8x8 Work icon in the system taskbar

  • Set my status to Do not disturb in Calendar & Settings panel

    Work Apps Settings: Administrators can control the visibility of the ‘Set mu status to Do not disturb’ status on the calendar & Settings panel for all users within 8x8 Work for Desktop

To learn how to manage settings for 8x8 Work applications, see 8x8 Admin Console - Configure Work Apps Settings.

Guidance on enforcing E.164 format for Video Elevation in 8x8 Engage

When inviting participants to a Video Elevation session in 8x8 Engage, phone numbers must follow the international E.164 format:

Start with a + plus sign, followed by the country code and number. The full number has no spaces, dashes, or parentheses.

Example:

+14155552671

A reminder tip now appears under the To field to enter the number in the international format. If the number is not properly formatted, delivery fail silently.

Video Elevation invitation in 8x8 Engage - The Video Elevation invitation must include phone numbers adhering to the international E.164 format

To learn more about sending Video Elevation invites, see Communication with your contacts using Video Elevation.

Other updates and enhancements in version 8.23

  • Improved Accessibility: Enhanced support for screen readers in the Messages view and General settings, improving navigation and usability for visually impaired users.
  • AI-Powered Writing Assistance: Smart suggestions to help users compose and refine replies when editing messages.
  • Personalized Chat Summaries: AI-generated summaries now respond in the user’s selected language, supporting better multilingual engagement.

Note: All AI-assisted writing tools and chat summaries are disabled by default. Administrators must explicitly enable it in the Work Apps Settings section of the 8x8 Admin Console by toggling on the Allow hat AI feature option, under General. For more details, refer to 8x8 Admin Console - Configure Work Apps Settings.

For details on features introduced prior to this release, see our list of previous releases.