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Why am I receiving duplicate approval requests in Exchange Online?
Microsoft recently deployed a critical update to Exchange Online that directly impacts email moderation workflows. As of February 2, 2026, the specific constraints requiring moderators to use legacy Outlook clients have been removed. This update introduces two primary technical improvements: universal client support via Adaptive Cards and the consolidation of redundant approval requests. These changes streamline the approval process and reduce administrative fatigue.
Universal Access via Adaptive Cards
Previously, Exchange Online relied on “Voting Buttons” for moderation. This legacy feature restricted moderators to the classic Outlook for Windows desktop client. If a moderator attempted to approve an email via a mobile device or a Mac, the buttons would fail to render or function.
The new architecture replaces Voting Buttons with Adaptive Cards.
- Technology Shift: Adaptive Cards embed “Approve” and “Reject” functions directly into the JSON body of the email. These are platform-agnostic actionable messages.
- Operational Impact: Moderators can now execute decisions from any interface. This includes Outlook for Mac, Outlook on the Web (OWA), and crucially, Outlook Mobile (iOS and Android).
- Benefit: This removes the bottleneck where key decision-makers could not approve time-sensitive communications while away from their desks.
Solving Notification Fatigue: Request Consolidation
A significant pain point in the previous iteration was the handling of “bifurcation.” When a user sends a moderated message to a massive distribution list, Exchange Online splits that message into multiple copies to optimize delivery latency.
Formerly, this split triggered a separate approval request for every copy. A moderator might receive five identical requests for a single email blast.
- The Logic Change: The system now recognizes the Message ID as a singular entity despite the backend splitting.
- The Result: Moderators receive one consolidated approval request.
- Exception Handling: While this eliminates duplicates caused by transport splitting, distinct approvals may still be required if different transport rules trigger separate moderation pathways. However, standard volume-based splitting no longer creates noise.
Implementation and Rollout Timeline
Administrators must verify their tenant configuration to ensure readiness.
- Timeline: Microsoft is staggering this rollout globally between February 2026 and early April 2026.
- Prerequisite: The “Actionable Messages” feature must be enabled within your tenant. You can verify and toggle this setting using Exchange Online PowerShell.
- Advisory: Review your current transport rules. If you previously created complex workarounds to avoid mobile moderation issues, you can now simplify those rule sets.