What Are the New Slack Admin Features for April 2023? Updates, Security & Deprecations

Looking to stay current with Slack's latest admin capabilities? April 2023 brings powerful new features, important changes, and upcoming deprecations that every Slack administrator needs to know. Let's explore these updates and how they can improve your organization's collaboration.

What Are the New Features in Slack April 2023?

Slack's April 2023 release introduces several productivity enhancements:

Feature	Key Benefit	Availability
Message Forwarding	Share DMs and private channel messages	All Plans
Later View	Unified reminders and saved items	All Plans
Fleet Configuration	Manage desktop client settings	Enterprise
Analytics API	Pull member and channel metrics	Business+
Guest Expiration Policy	Set maximum guest account limits	Enterprise Grid

How Do You Forward Messages from DMs and Private Channels?

Sharing information across your organization just got easier. Members can now:

• Forward individual messages — Share specific messages from DMs and private channels to other conversations
• Confirm before sending — Users receive a confirmation prompt before forwarding sensitive messages
• Maintain context — Keep important information flowing without copy-paste workarounds

How Does the New Later View Improve Productivity?

No more cluttered Slackbot messages! The new Later view transforms how you manage tasks:

• Unified reminders — All reminders appear in one centralized location
• Enhanced Saved Items — Updated version of Saved Items with better organization
• Deadline management — Easily update, complete, or archive saved items
• Better visibility — Track completed and archived items from one dashboard

What Are the New Huddle Options?

Huddles become more flexible with these updates:

• Multi-device joining — Join huddles from desktop and mobile simultaneously
• Improved notifications — New, longer notification sounds alert you when Slack is in the background
• Quick response options — Choose to join, decline, or select "be right there"

📊 Key Insight: Organizations using Slack huddles see up to 25% faster decision-making on urgent matters compared to scheduled meetings.

How Can Admins Access Analytics Data via API?

Business+ and Enterprise Grid admins gain powerful analytics capabilities:

• Member metrics — Pull detailed user activity and engagement data
• Channel analytics — Access metadata for public channels
• Adoption insights — Measure collaboration patterns across your organization
• API integration — Connect analytics to your existing reporting tools

What New Features Are Coming Soon to Slack?

What is Slack Canvas and How Does It Work?

Slack Canvas represents a significant evolution in workspace documentation:

• Capture and curate — Create a dedicated surface for essential information
• Real-time collaboration — Comment and co-edit with team members
• Posts transition — Existing Slack posts remain editable until converted to canvases
• Better organization — Keep important documentation directly in Slack

How Will the New Window Feature Improve Multitasking?

Pop-out windows enhance productivity for power users:

• Standalone canvases — Work on documents in separate windows
• Channel pop-outs — Monitor multiple channels simultaneously
• Thread focus — Keep important threads visible while working
• DM windows — Separate direct message conversations

This feature replaces the split view and some right-side pane views for a more flexible experience.

What New Domain Requirements Should Organizations Know?

Organizations may need to update network allow lists to include:

• slack-infra-canvas.slack.com — Required for Canvas functionality
• deno.land — Required for developers building with the new Slack platform

What New Developer Tools Are Available?

Developers get powerful new capabilities:

• Modular functions — Build reusable components for workflows
• Direct deployment — Deploy code directly to Slack's infrastructure
• Enhanced CLI — Improved command-line tools for development
• Custom triggers — Create sophisticated automation workflows

Where Are Shortcuts, Slash Commands, and Workflows Moving?

Navigation changes for better accessibility:

• New slash button — Access shortcuts via the slash button or by typing /
• Search integration — Find and run workflows via Slack search
• Bookmarks bar — Existing workflows move to a folder in bookmarks

What Security Updates Are Coming to Slack?

Why is Two-Factor Authentication Required for Admins?

To enhance security, Slack now requires 2FA for administrators:

• Mandatory setup — Admins using email/password sign-in must enable 2FA
• Slackbot notification — Receive setup instructions with a 24-hour deadline
• Automatic sign-out — Admins without 2FA will be signed out after the deadline

How Can Admins Control SMS Authentication?

New options for authentication methods:

• Require authenticator apps — Mandate more secure 2FA methods
• Restrict SMS — Disable SMS as a two-factor option
• Enhanced protection — Better security for organization data

🔐 Security Note: SMS-based 2FA is vulnerable to SIM swapping attacks. Authenticator apps provide significantly stronger protection for enterprise accounts.

What Deprecations Should You Prepare For?

As Slack evolves, certain systems will reach end of support on September 1, 2023:

• Older operating systems — Legacy OS versions will no longer be supported
• Outdated app versions — Ensure your Slack apps are updated
• Legacy browsers — Older browser versions will lose compatibility

⚠️ Action Required: Audit your organization's systems before September 1, 2023 to ensure compatibility with the latest Slack features.

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