Microsoft retires old Copilot chat in plain Power Apps model-driven apps
Reviewed by Helen Jones
Microsoft says the Copilot chat pane for model-driven apps will be deprecated in environments that are not enabled for Dynamics 365 apps, starting January 2026. The company points makers toward Microsoft 365 Copilot instead. Docs were refreshed again in 2026 to underline that path. In Dynamics 365 apps the same chat is generally available. In Power Apps it stays a preview. During the transition, makers can turn on the older chat, Microsoft 365 Copilot, or both. The experience runs on Azure OpenAI and can hit usage limits. Customizing the older chat needs Copilot Studio rights and still faces environment and table limits. Preview features are not meant for production.
For a long stretch, model-driven apps could show a built-in Copilot side chat that answered questions about app data in natural language. Many plain Power Apps tenants tried it because it was one toggle away, even though it never left preview outside Dynamics. That standalone pane is now on a clear sunset in non-Dynamics environments. AI help for users is being folded into Microsoft 365 Copilot rather than kept as a free-feeling Power Apps preview. If your environment is only Power Apps licensed, the in-app chat you demoed is not the long-term surface your users will keep.
Analysis
This is a trap to avoid if you mostly ship canvas apps on SharePoint and only dabble in model-driven: do not train colleagues on the old model-driven Copilot chat or sell it as a durable feature. Open your environment settings, note whether Dynamics 365 apps are enabled, and if any model-driven app has the preview chat on, plan the message that Microsoft 365 Copilot is the path after January 2026.
Source note
Pulse published by Collab365 Spaces, reviewed by Helen Jones on . Cite as "Microsoft retires old Copilot chat in plain Power Apps model-driven apps", Collab365 Spaces. 2 sources referenced.