On October 23, GitHub launched a new consolidated GitHub app for Microsoft Teams that brings notifications and Copilot together in one place, so a bug report arriving in a channel can become an investigated issue, a fix, and a pull request without leaving the conversation. According to GitHub’s changelog, teams are notified in channels, group chats, or private chats, then mention @GitHub to set the fix in motion, and review, test, and merge the resulting pull request. The new app replaces the separate notifications experience: anyone with GitHub notifications installed should update to the latest version, while the legacy app will be renamed “GitHub (deprecated)” and retired on November 16.
How The New App Turns A Notification Into A Fix
The workflow starts where developers already talk. A bug report arrives in a Teams channel, group chat, or private chat, and the new app surfaces the update there. Neowin reports that the notification carries a link to the issue, so the team can see exactly what broke without opening another tool.
From that notification, a developer mentions @GitHub in the conversation. GitHub says the mention prompts Copilot to investigate the issue, fix the bug, and create a pull request. The team then reviews the proposed change, tests it, and decides whether to merge it. The human review step stays in the team’s hands: Copilot prepares the fix, but merging remains a team decision.
Setting the app up follows the same pattern. GitHub says users should mention @GitHub and follow the prompts to connect their GitHub account and select a repository. Users who already have GitHub notifications installed only need to update the app to the latest version, and GitHub says their existing notification capabilities will continue to work.
What Happens To The Old GitHub App
The legacy GitHub app is not disappearing overnight, but its days are numbered. GitHub says it will be renamed “GitHub (deprecated)” and retired on November 16. Teams still on the legacy app should install the consolidated GitHub app from Teams to keep using Copilot in Teams after that date.
November 16 is a busy date for Copilot changes: GitHub is also retiring three Copilot models on that day, as covered in GitHub’s November 16 Copilot model retirements. Teams planning the app switch can treat the two changes as one migration window rather than two separate chores.
Why It Matters
The new app matters because it removes the handoff between chat and code. Bug reports usually start as messages, and fixes usually live in a repository, so the gap between the two has always cost developers time and context. By putting the notification and the fix in the same conversation, GitHub lets a team move from “something broke” to a testable pull request without switching tools or copying links around.
The change also fits how Copilot is being used. Copilot no longer only suggests code as developers type; here it investigates an issue and drafts the whole fix. That makes the review step more important, not less, since the team must check work it did not write line by line. GitHub separately switched on unconfigured Copilot features under a default policy, as covered in GitHub’s default Copilot policy rollout, which means more teams may meet Copilot in Teams with features already on.
Background
GitHub previously offered a separate notifications app for Teams, and Copilot’s role has grown from suggesting code to investigating issues and opening pull requests; the consolidated app folds both jobs into one install, continuing a run of Copilot changes that included the six Copilot models retired on October 19.
Source: GitHub Changelog, Neowin
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