Teams chat backup - Update on premium API

[gwyn]

Hi,

I have just noticed a message center notification about graph API charges for the following API https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/graph ... d-api-list. As stated by MS, there will be no charges incurring https://mc.merill.net/message/MC1122144.

Are these the API endpoints for the chat export meaning this is no longer going to be paid?

Thank you.

[Mildur]

Hello Gwyn,

I'm seeing the same Microsoft message in my lab tenant.
Let me verify this with our team, but based on the listed API endpoints, I would assume the same as you.

Best,
Fabian

[Mike Resseler]

@gwyn We are investigating and understanding what it means for the chat export API. We are waiting for clarification from MSFT

[ian0x0r]

Looking forward to the outcome of this one.

[SomewhereinSC]

We have completely played off worrying about Teams chat backups because of the unknown costs, this would be great if it will now not cost anything... looking forward to a HOW-TO for backing up chats...

[Dynamic]

This sounds promising. Some of our customers would use this asap (when the aspect of unknown costs is not a reason anymore).

[cricoinf]

I reached out to our Microsoft Sr. Customer Success Account Manager, here is what they said, "Yes, that's correct. I had a chance to run this by one of our Teams Engineers, Breonna July, as well. Sounds like the new API billing goes into effect on August 25th. Please let us know if you have any other questions related to Teams chat."

[SomewhereinSC]

so maybe I missed it or others know, but how after 25AUG25 are we going to include CHAT into our Veeam M365 backups?

[karsten123]

very good question. Mike?

[Polina]

We're still awating the details from Microsoft. Once it's confirmed, I guess there will be some official publication from Veeam (probably a blog post).

[tdthomas]

So, Veeam-Team, we are past the starting date of the new price structure. Nothing new, not even a blog post?
Did Microsoft let your call go straight to voicemail, leave your message unread?

[Polina]

Hi Thomas,

We've the confirmation that from the functionality perspective there won't be any changes. However, there're a few other things that we're still trying to clarify.

[SomewhereinSC]

I know it has only been a couple weeks, but any new info? Anyone know if we will still need to fill out the Microsoft api request etc? We have not been bothered about backing up chat until now because of possible costs...

[Mildur]

Hi SomeWhereInSC,

I believe our teams are still waiting for final feedback. I'll let Polina provide an update if there is any new official information to share.

In the meantime, I set up a new M365 tenant and lab for testing. Backup and restore of Teams Channel Messages are working in my lab without linking an Azure subscription.

This confirms that, at least for my tenant, chat messages are now free to protect and restore.

Best,
Fabian

[Polina]

Hi,

Requirements for access to Teams Protected APIs remain valid, but charges are now released and using those APIs now comes at no cost.

[SomewhereinSC]

Hi SomeWhereInSC,
In the meantime, I set up a new M365 tenant and lab for testing. Backup and restore of Teams Chats are working in my lab without linking an Azure subscription.
This confirms that, at least for my tenant, chat messages are now free to protect and restore.
Best,
Fabian

Thanks for reply, I'm having a little trouble understanding how to implement on my running instance of Veeam M365 8.1.2.180 P20250619. Just did a quick check with Veeam Explorer for Exchange, expanded multiple users, then Conversation History, Teams Chat and it is blank. For future readers, I worked through this post https://www.veeam.com/kb4322 then https://www.veeam.com/kb4340, had to click Teams chats in VM365 edit, then found my API info and Certs info in Entra to complete setup.

[SomewhereinSC]

argh... So I worked through the above articles with what I thought was success, but just finished a backup and looking in Exchange Explorer and not seeing any Teams chats... looking in Conversation History\Teams Chat and TeamsMessageData... any idea what I must be missing or where to look?

[Polina]

Hi @SomewhereinSC,

The following resources can help you with configuring backups and restores of Teams data:
https://helpcenter.veeam.com/docs/vbo36 ... ats-backup
https://helpcenter.veeam.com/docs/vbo36 ... tml?ver=80
https://helpcenter.veeam.com/docs/vbo36 ... tml?ver=80

Please note, that to protect Teams channel messages, you need to perform backup of those teams. To restore teams data, use Veeam Explorer for Microsoft Teams.

Thanks!

[SomewhereinSC]

You mention "Teams channel messages", but I thought this was about Teams Chat messages (you know person to person chats)? Am I able backup/restore person to person (outside of a channel) chat messages?

[Mildur]

No, it‘s not possible yet to protect 1:1 chats or Group Chats.
I have now edited my last comment from „Chats“ to „Channel messages“ to not introduce any confusion.

Best,
Fabian

[KiwiBruce]

...it‘s not possible yet to protect 1:1 chats or Group Chats....
Well thats disappointing.
So much business communications are happening in that space, and we have no way of knowing or recovering the words.
Our Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act requires that we produce all business comms ..creates a public right of access to information held by local authorities..
Looks like we can dodge the answer because we don't 'hold it' anywhere

[GLC]

Now that there was an update to VB365, I was hoping that the 1:1 chat messages would backup now as well. No such luck. Does anyone know when that feature will become available? I swear, we have every API added to be able to make this work but it's not. Does anyone actually have this working that they can share their list of APIs, if they are application or delegated? Also, we were told to look for these messages in an Exchange restore client. Is that correct? That's where the 1:1 used to be but since the APIs were charged, they no longer showed there. Now since they are free, all of the previous messages are supposed to load in that same spot but, again, it's not happening. TIA

[Mildur]

Hi GLC,

Even if all permissions for 1:1 chats are correctly configured in your Entra ID application, Veeam Backup for Microsoft 365 still requires an update to leverage the APIs for retrieving such chats. This functionality remains on our roadmap, but there is currently no ETA for its release.

Also, we were told to look for these messages in an Exchange restore client. Is that correct?

That was possible a few years ago, but (to my understanding), Microsoft has since removed this capability. It’s no longer possible to retrieve these messages through the hidden mailbox folder.

Best,
Fabian

[GLC]

Thanks for that reply. We'll keep watching for updates to that roadmap. Hopefully that is soon.

[Polina]

Hi @GLC

You're absolutely right - the APIs are there, and their usage now comes at no cost. However, we had to further postpone the support for 1:1 team chats because of other priorities.

Microsoft has stopped journaling chats to a mailbox folder, so this workaround is not anymore available for quite a while already.

Thanks!

[DaStivi]

I still have two questions regarding this topic:

Before the billing change, it was necessary to create an Azure subscription. As far as I understand, this was only required so Microsoft could process the billing, correct? Veeam itself didn’t actually need or query the subscription—at least not now, when enabling support for Teams chat backup. -> you just enable chat backup now in organization and job and thats all?

The second thing I noticed is that when creating a new tenant/org in the VB365 console, you cannot enable Teams chat backup during the initial tenant setup. You first have to create the organization without chat backup enabled, and only afterwards can you enable it.

To be more precise: if you select the option to enable Teams chat backup during inital organization creation, you’re unable to create a new enterprise application. You can only select an existing one—which doesn’t exist yet unless you’ve manually created it beforehand.