January 2026 marks Slack's continued evolution from messaging platform to intelligent workplace hub.
Available Now | Business+ and Enterprise+ plans
Slackbot is no longer just the friendly bot that reminds you about unread messages—it's now a full-fledged AI assistant that understands your workspace context.
Here's what the new Slackbot can do:
Getting started is simple: No setup or additional tools required. Simply open a direct message with Slackbot and start asking questions. The AI uses your workspace context to support everything from finding buried information to generating documentation.
This transforms how teams access institutional knowledge. Instead of searching through hundreds of channels and threads, ask Slackbot and get answers instantly—with full awareness of what you have permission to see.
Available Now | All plans
Never miss a scheduled conversation again. Members now receive reminder notifications in Slack for upcoming huddles scheduled through Google Calendar or Outlook.
Key benefits:
Available Now | Business+ and Enterprise+ plans with Salesforce integration
Admins can now configure more restrictive visibility settings for Salesforce channels. Instead of the default view-based permissions, you can now choose whether users can discover and join channels based on:
| Permission Level | Who Can See Channels |
|---|---|
| Record ownership | Only record owners see related channels |
| Edit permissions | Users who can edit records see related channels |
| View permissions | Anyone who can view the record (default) |
Implementation checklist:
Learn more about Salesforce integration →
Screen Reader Verbosity Settings (All plans)
Members can now customize how messages are read by screen readers on web and desktop, improving accessibility for users who rely on assistive technology. Configure message announcement detail level, notification verbosity, and navigation feedback options.
Share Channel Sections with a Link (All plans)
Share organized groups of channels with teammates instantly. Copy a link to any channel section and paste it in a canvas, channel, or message so others can join your curated channel groups quickly.
Example use case: Create a "Q1 Project Alpha" section with 5 related channels, copy the section link, share it in team canvas or onboarding message, and new team members join all relevant channels in one click.
Migration Support for Seamless Authorization
Organizations moving workspaces to Enterprise Grid get a critical improvement: features that rely on Salesforce connections—including Salesforce channels and Agentforce—are now preserved during migration.
What's preserved:
Pro tip: Schedule migrations during low-activity periods and verify Salesforce connections immediately post-migration.
Canvas Analytics Expanded
Admins can now see trends for canvas shares and reactions alongside existing metrics like views, edits, comments, and creates.
Available Now | Pro and Business+ plans
A new page in the admin dashboard highlights recommended security settings for owners and admins, with direct links to relevant Help Center content.
What Admin Advisor provides:
Pro tip: Review Admin Advisor monthly to stay current with Slack's evolving security recommendations.
Updates to Activity
The new Activity hub will consolidate all notification types into a single feed with a flexible page design supporting side-by-side views, customizable density options, and triage tools including filtering, sorting, and bulk actions.
AI-Suggested Channel Sections (Business+ and Enterprise+)
A new feature will recommend existing sidebar sections when members join new channels based on channel content analysis, member's existing organization, and team patterns and preferences.
Message Triggers in Private Channels (All plans with Workflow Builder)
Members will be able to create no-code workflows that trigger when specific keywords are posted in private channels. Admins must enable this feature—private channels will be off by default.
Split View on Desktop
Pin a thread, channel, canvas, or other content in a static, side-by-side view while continuing to navigate in the main area of the desktop app.
Additional features on the horizon:
Deadline: April 30, 2026 | All Enterprise plans
From April 30, 2026, Slack will transition to a two-year retention policy for customer Audit Logs. After this date, logs older than two years will be automatically deleted.
Action required:
Important: This affects only audit logs tracking administrative actions and security events—not message or file retention settings.
For Knowledge Workers:
For Admins:
For Sales/Service Teams:
For Enterprise Migration Teams:
David Cockrum is the founder of Vantage Point and a former COO in financial services. With expertise in CRM transformations, he brings actionable insights for financial services technology migrations.
Email: david@vantagepoint.io | Phone: (469) 499-3400 | Website: vantagepoint.io