Fw: [Special] [nvda] Announcement Only: The latest storm of chaos from a Microsoft Announcement of changes to the default M365 Personal and Family Plans to include Copilot Functionality in the Office Programs
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Note: This is a repost of a topic I just posted on the M365 and Office
Accessibility Group being done as a public service announcement here.? Any
actual discussion should occur on that topic in that group.? Here's the
link to it: ?
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I
hope that what follows will calm some of that storm before it makes a direct
hit:
?
1.
Yes, Microsoft has announced that Copilot AI will now be included with M365
Family and Personal Plans by default.? This was supposed to have started on
January 16, 2025, worldwide.
2.
No, there will not be any price change until your next renewal date arrives, at
which point, if you didn't downgrade to M365 Family or Personal Classic (about
which more, later) your cost will increase by $30/year to have M365 with
Copilot.
3.
Yes, it appears that Microsoft has given those of us who don't want the Copilot
AI included to avoid having our existing services or price change when the next
renewal comes.? You will have it for free until that point.
?
This
is the announcement regarding Copilot now being included in M365 Family and
Personal, but also includes instructions on how to downgrade to classic before
one's next renewal date: ?
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I
direct the readership's attention to this part of that announcement,
specifically, if one does want to "stick with what you've currently got" which
is what the Classic versions of M365 Family or Personal are:
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Downgrade to
Microsoft 365 Personal or Microsoft 365 Family Classic
1. Go to Services & subscriptions. Sign in with the Microsoft account associated with your subscription, if prompted.? [Note: I've found the easiest way to get directly where you need to be is to do the following in MS-Word: ?Hit Alt + F, D, Y 3? (File Backstage View, Accounts, Manage Account button) this opens your Subscriptions page in the web browser for the Microsoft Account under which you hold the subscription for the M365 you're using at that moment. 2. Activate the
Manage Subscription control (first one in that page) which presents a list of
options.? Arrow down to? Cancel subscription and activate.
3. To downgrade
to another plan with fewer features, select Microsoft 365 Personal Classic or
Microsoft 365 Family Classic, or another plan that works for you.
4. Follow the
instructions to complete the switch.
Your existing
subscription might not change immediately, but it will automatically switch to
the new plan at renewal. You will not be charged for the new plan until it
renews.? ----
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Note
well that you can perform the downgrade in advance of your renewal date, and
that you will keep your current billing rate with the Classic plan when your
renewal is processed.? So, if you play with Copilot in the M365 Office
Suite programs during the period between January 16, 2025, and your renewal
date, and decide at any point you don't want it when the free trial up through
renewal is over, then follow the above noted instructions to stick with what
you've got.
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This
is the ONLY information I have, and since my own renewal date is not until the
month of August, I will not be doing the downgrade to Classic for my next
renewal until I have had enough time playing with the trial to decide if I want
to keep the integrated Copilot features or not.
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It
would be much appreciated if those who do follow the above noted instructions
report back on how the process worked and whether it was accessible.? My
guess is that when you cancel your existing service you'll immediately be asked
if you want to resubscribe at a different service level, which would be the
newly created Classic level if you want to keep everything as it has been.
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Microsoft 365 and Office Accessibility Owner:? Alan Lemly;? Moderator: Brian Vogel Archive:? /g/M365-Accessibility/topics
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Brian? ¡¤ ¡á? ¡¤ ???? ¡¤ ?Virginia, USA?- Windows 11 Pro, Version 24H2, Build 26100; M365 Family; Android 13 (Xiaomi HyperOS 1.0.10.0) Constantly insisting on ¡°my rights¡± with no consideration of ¡°my responsibilities¡± isn¡¯t ¡°freedom¡± ¡ª it¡¯s adolescence. ???? ~ Commenter, Evangelos, in comments for ??????? , ??????? New York Times, February 8, 2022 |
Robert Doc Wright