Summary of Changes to the Microsoft Services Agreement

We have provided a summary of the most notable changes to the Microsoft Services Agreement. To see all of the changes, please read the full Microsoft Services Agreement here.

  1. In the header, we’ve updated the publication date to June 15, 2022, and the effective date to August 15, 2022.
  2. In the Code of Conduct section, we’ve clarified that Microsoft Start has guidelines that apply to user conduct and included a link to the Microsoft Start Community Guidelines to help users understand these guidelines.
  3. In the section that addresses governing law and disputes, we’ve added verbiage in the subsection for Korea to clarify that if you live in the Republic of Korea, you may have certain rights that can’t be limited by contract and that any changes to the Terms will be made in accordance with applicable law.
  4. In the Xbox Services section, we’ve made changes to reflect that we’re sharing data with industry partners and not just game developers. This change allows us to enable new features for our customers and clarifies that, when an Xbox user links their Microsoft account to non-Microsoft services, we share certain data with industry partners so they can provide their non-Microsoft services within the Xbox ecosystem. In the Using the Services & Support section, we’ve made changes to align with the Microsoft policy regarding inactive Microsoft accounts.
  5. We also added a link to the Xbox Subscriptions Terms & Conditions in the Xbox Services section to make the terms and conditions that are specific to Xbox subscriptions more prominent and easier for users to find. We added the Inactive Xbox Service Subscriptions policy to reflect the new policy that Microsoft established for Xbox. Under this policy, Microsoft may turn off your recurring billing if you do not use your applicable Xbox Services subscription for a period of time.
  6. In the Skype, Microsoft Teams, and GroupMe section, our changes reflect the obligations that Microsoft has to offer access to Emergency Services (such as 911 or 112 emergency calling) through Skype and Microsoft Teams. We’ve clarified that only the Skype to Phone feature of Skype may support calls to Emergency Services in a very limited number of countries. We’ve also clarified that, in some regions, Microsoft Teams uses international numbers that could count as an international text message. In addition, as required by Australian law, we’ve specified the underlying carriers that support Microsoft services and stated that they are unaffiliated with Microsoft.
  7. In the Service-Specific Terms section, we removed the subsection which covered Microsoft Band because Microsoft Health Dashboard applications and services were discontinued, and web-connected features are no longer available for Microsoft Band.
  8. In the Service-Specific Terms section, we’ve added a section for Microsoft Soundscape that clarifies that it is a general-purpose consumer service. We’ve also clarified that the Microsoft Power Platform service is governed by the terms and conditions of the enterprise agreements applicable to Microsoft Power Platform.
  9. In the Notices section, we’ve made edits to update the notice status of certain licenses and patents.
  10. Throughout the Terms, we’ve made changes to improve clarity and to address grammar, typos, and other similar issues. We’ve also updated naming and hyperlinks.