Microsoft Teams Absorb LMS Application V1.6

Updated November 13, 2026 21:59

The Absorb app for Microsoft Teams brings the full Absorb Learner Experience into Teams and delivers Course reminders to Learners in the same place. Learners can browse the catalog, launch Courses, and review their transcript without opening a browser, and a reminder links directly to the Course it is about. This article explains what the app includes, the Portal requirements, how to set it up, what Learners see when they sign in and receive notifications, and how to resolve common issues.

What the Absorb App Includes

The Absorb app combines two surfaces in a single Teams app. It is available in the Teams desktop app, Teams on the web, and Teams mobile, and is included with an active Absorb subscription at no additional cost.

Surface	Description
Learner Experience tab	The first tab in the app. It hosts the embedded Absorb Learner Interface, including the Dashboard, Course Catalog, Course Details, Course Player, and Transcript.
Notification chat	The second surface. A personal chat with the Absorb bot that posts a welcome message and delivers Course nudge reminders as cards. The bot is notification-only, so Learners cannot send it messages or commands.

The Learner Experience tab runs the standard Absorb Course Player, so no lesson type is blocked or hidden inside Teams. One difference applies: a Lesson configured to open in a pop-up window or a new tab opens inline in the tab instead.

Training completed in Teams uses the same enrollment record as the browser-based LMS. A Course started in a browser can be resumed in Teams, and the other way around.

Changes in v1.6.0

If your organization used the earlier Absorb Aura version of the app (v1.5.0), v1.6.0 arrives as an update to the same app. The following table summarizes what changed:

Item	v1.5.0	v1.6.0
App name	Absorb Aura	Absorb
Tab name	Absorb Learn	Learner Experience
Surface order	Chat first	Learner Experience tab first, notification chat second
Chat	Aura chat bot	Notification-only bot that delivers Course nudges with an Open course button

The standalone Aura chat is no longer part of the Teams app, but Aura itself remains available. Organizations entitled to Absorb Aura can use it inside the Learner Experience tab the same way they do in a browser. For more information, see Aura Learner Agent.

Learners who had v1.5.0 installed should remove the app and add it again after setup is complete. For details, see Set Up the Absorb App below.

Portal Requirements

Your Portal must meet all four of the following requirements before you configure the app. These requirements are not optional: a Portal that does not meet any one of them cannot use the Learner Experience tab. Most of them cannot be checked from your Portal settings, so Absorb can confirm whether your Portal qualifies before you begin.

Requirement	Details
Production portal	The app connects only to Absorb's production service. A sandbox Portal accepts the Tenant ID and toggle settings and appears to save them, but the settings have no effect. If the same Tenant ID is entered on both a sandbox and a production portal, Learners who open the tab reach the production Portal, and any Course activity is recorded as production activity.
One sign-in method for all Learners	Teams uses a single Portal address for your whole organization and selects it before it knows who the Learner is. A mix of Single Sign-On (SSO) and non-SSO Learners, or more than one SSO configuration used by different groups, is not supported. Learners who sign in differently from the selected address cannot sign in, and they see no error explaining why.
Supported SSO type	If your Portal uses SSO, it must be Service Provider (SP)-initiated Security Assertion Markup Language (SAML) or OpenID Connect (OIDC). If your Portal uses Identity Provider (IdP)-initiated SAML, Learners still reach Absorb but sign in with their Absorb username and password instead of through your IdP.
A .myabsorb sign-in address	Teams only loads Portal addresses on .myabsorb domains. Your Portal needs a qualifying .myabsorb address that Teams can use for everyone. If you use SSO, your SSO route must also be on a .myabsorb address. Absorb adds a qualifying address if your Portal does not have one, as described in the next section.

Department-scoped routes are not a blocker on their own. As long as every Learner signs in the same way, Absorb can add one shared address for Teams. For more information about routes and SSO, see Route Level Single Sign-On.

The Sign-In Address Teams Uses

The Teams app can only load pages on .myabsorb addresses. A qualifying address is a subdomain such as client-name.myabsorb.com, or the regional equivalent on .myabsorb.ca, .myabsorb.eu, or .myabsorb.com.au. A bare myabsorb.com address does not qualify, and the address must be available to your whole organization rather than to a single department.

If your Learners use a custom or vanity domain, it keeps working exactly as it does today in a browser. It simply is not the address Teams uses. The tab opens your Portal on its .myabsorb address, and Learners never need to know or type either address.

Most Portals already have a qualifying address. Absorb adds a dedicated address on its own infrastructure, such as teams-clientname.myabsorb.com, when none of your existing addresses qualifies:

Situation	Why Existing Addresses Do Not Work
The Portal only uses a custom or vanity domain and has no .myabsorb address.	Teams only loads .myabsorb addresses.
Every .myabsorb address is scoped to a department.	Teams selects one address for the whole organization before it knows who the Learner is, so it never uses Department addresses.
Every .myabsorb address has SSO configured on it.	Teams only takes the Portal address from routes with no SSO configuration attached.

When Absorb adds an address for Teams:

There is nothing for you to host, register, or set up in DNS.
No Teams or Microsoft Entra changes are needed, and the admin consent your organization grants covers the new address.
Learners never need to know or type the address.
Your existing addresses and everyday browser sign-in are unaffected.

A new address changes where Teams goes, not how Learners sign in. It does not resolve a Portal where different groups of Learners sign in different ways.

If your Portal has more than one qualifying address, Teams uses the first one in the configured route order. Reordering or adding routes after the app is enabled can change the address Teams uses and cause the tab to load blank, so contact Absorb Support before making route changes.

Security Consideration

Because the address Teams uses has no SSO configured on it, its standard Absorb sign-in page can be reached directly. Anyone who already holds a valid Absorb username and password for your Portal could sign in there, outside your SSO policy. This applies to any non-SSO route, including those most Portals already have, and is not specific to Teams.

People and Information You Need

Setup involves both your Microsoft administrators and your Absorb System Admin. Confirm the following are available before you begin:

Your organization's Microsoft Teams Tenant ID. One Absorb Portal connects to exactly one Teams tenant.
A Microsoft 365 admin with the Global Administrator, Application Administrator, or Cloud Application Administrator role to grant admin consent.
A Teams administrator to make the app available in your organization's Teams app catalog.
A System Admin with access to your Absorb Portal.

Set Up the Absorb App

Learners are set up for notifications at the moment the app is installed for them. At that moment, Absorb checks that your organization is enabled and looks up the Learner's email address in Microsoft. If either check fails, the Learner receives no welcome message and no notifications, and Absorb does not retry. Complete setup in the following order:

If Absorb is adding a sign-in address for your Portal, wait until Absorb confirms it is in place.
Your Microsoft 365 admin grants admin consent for the app.
Your System Admin enters the Tenant ID and turns on both toggles in Client Settings.
Your Teams administrator makes the app available to Learners.

Learners Who Installed the App Early

Learners who installed the app before admin consent was granted and the notification toggle was turned on must remove the app and add it again to receive notifications. This includes Learners who had the earlier Absorb Aura version (v1.5.0). Removing and re-adding the app does not affect their Courses, progress, or records in Absorb.

Grant Admin Consent in Microsoft Entra

A Microsoft 365 admin grants admin consent for the app's enterprise application in the Microsoft Entra admin center. Consent allows Absorb to identify Learners by their Microsoft account, both to sign them in automatically in the Learner Experience tab and to set them up for notifications when they install the app.

Until consent is granted, Learners see a Microsoft Need admin approval screen the first time they open the tab. This is expected and clears as soon as consent is granted; it does not indicate a problem with your Absorb configuration. Notifications do not recover on their own, however. Learners who installed the app before consent was granted must remove and re-add it.

Enable the App in Client Settings

A System Admin connects your portal to your Teams organization and turns on the app features in the Admin Experience (AE). Follow these steps:

Access the AE.
Navigate to Account > Client Settings.
Click Workplace apps.
In the Microsoft Teams section, enter your organization's Tenant ID.
Turn on the Embed Learning Experience toggle.
Turn on the Enable Nudge Notifications Bot in Teams toggle.
Click Save.

The following table describes each setting:

Setting	Description
Tenant ID	Links your Portal to your Teams organization. If the Tenant ID is already recorded against another Absorb Portal, the save is rejected with the message "This Microsoft Teams Tenant ID cannot be used for your configuration."
Embed Learning Experience	Turns on the Learner Experience tab. When this toggle is off, the tab shows "Teams embedding is disabled for this Portal." and the Open course button on notification cards opens the Course in the Learner's browser.
Enable Nudge Notifications Bot in Teams	Turns on Course nudge delivery in Teams. Turning it off stops the Absorb app from sending notifications. It does not affect nudge emails.

Turn on both toggles to keep Learners inside Teams. Notifications work without the Learner Experience tab, but the Open course button then sends Learners to their browser. These settings apply to the whole Portal and cannot be targeted by Department or permission.

Make the App Available to Learners

After consent is granted and the settings are saved, your Teams administrator approves the app and makes it available from Teams Admin Center > Teams apps > Manage apps. Depending on how your organization manages Teams apps, Learners either find the app already installed or add it from their Teams app list.

To roll the app out to a pilot group or specific team first, your Teams administrator can make it available to specific people or groups in the Teams Admin Center. This assignment is what controls who can reach the app.

When a Learner who newly installs the app is set up successfully, the bot posts a welcome message. Receiving it confirms that the Learner will receive notifications.

Customize the App for Your Organization

Your Teams administrator can change the app's display name, short and long descriptions, icons, and accent color for your organization from Teams Admin Center > Manage apps > Absorb > Customize. These changes apply only to your organization and do not require a store re-submission.

The welcome message uses your custom app name. Note that a renamed app will not match Absorb documentation that refers to the app as Absorb.

Access Training in the Learner Experience Tab

Learners use the Learner Experience tab to find, complete, and review training without leaving Teams. The dashboard shows their assigned Courses, Progress, and Featured Content. Follow these steps to access training:

Open the Absorb app from the Teams sidebar. If the app is not pinned, click Apps to find it.
Click the Learner Experience tab.
Sign in if prompted. Most Learners are signed in automatically, as described in Sign-In Experience below.
Browse or search the Course catalog.
Click a Course to view its details, including duration, ratings, and prerequisites.
Enroll in the Course.
Launch the Course. The player runs inside the tab, with no browser or additional sign-in.
Complete the Course. Progress and completion are recorded in Absorb.

Learners can review completed training and certificates in their transcript, also inside the tab.

Mobile Device Support

The embedded experience requires partitioned cookie support on the device. Devices that do not support partitioned cookies show a branded fallback page with an Open Training button, which opens Absorb in the device's browser. The following devices are not supported:

Android 11 and earlier.
iPhones manufactured in 2019 or earlier.
Any iPhone running iOS 18.3 or earlier, regardless of model. Support begins with iOS 18.4.

This list is a screening guide rather than a guarantee. Absorb tests each device as the tab loads, so a managed device can still show the fallback page if a device management or browser policy blocks third-party or partitioned cookies.

Sign-In Experience

What a Learner sees when they open the Learner Experience tab depends on your Portal's SSO setup and on whether Absorb can match their Microsoft account to an Absorb account.

Portal SSO Setup	What the Learner Sees
Microsoft Entra ID (formerly Azure AD)	No sign-in prompt. A few seconds of loading screens and redirects, then their dashboard, on the first visit and every visit after. This assumes their Absorb username or email address matches their Microsoft account.
Another IdP federated through Microsoft Entra ID	No sign-in prompt, on the same assumption as above. The hand-off happens in the background.
Another IdP not federated through Microsoft Entra ID, such as Okta, Auth0, or Ping	A sign-in pop-up opens and hands off to that IdP's own sign-in.
No SSO configured	The Absorb login screen appears inside the tab. Learners sign in with their Absorb username and password.

For more information about configuring SSO with Microsoft Entra ID, see Incoming SAML 2.0 Single Sign-On using Azure AD.

How Automatic Sign-In Works

Absorb uses the Microsoft work identity that Teams already holds and looks for a matching Absorb account. It compares the username and email address on the Microsoft account against the username and email address on the Absorb account, in every combination. When it finds a match, the Learner is signed in with no prompt. There is nothing to configure.

If Learners in a Microsoft Entra ID organization are asked to sign in unexpectedly, the usual cause is that their Absorb username and email address do not match their Microsoft work account. Notifications use a stricter, email-only match, as described in Course Nudge Notifications below.

How Often Learners Sign In

Learners who are signed in automatically are never prompted. Learners who sign in through a pop-up or the login screen are not asked again until their session expires. Session length is controlled by your IdP, not by Absorb, so it varies between organizations.

When reopening the tab, a brief window may open and close on its own. This is the IdP confirming the Learner is already signed in, and no action is needed.

Pop-Up Blockers

The sign-in window is a browser pop-up, so a pop-up blocker interrupts sign-in. Learners then see a sign-in failure message that names the pop-up blocker and asks them to navigate away and return to the tab. To prevent this, Learners must allow pop-ups for Microsoft Teams.

Learners Without an Absorb Account

An Absorb account can be created automatically the first time someone signs in through your IdP, if User Provisioning is enabled on that SSO configuration. Provisioning is set per SSO configuration, separately for SAML and for OIDC, and there is no single portal-wide setting. Keep the following in mind:

Provisioning does not apply to automatic Microsoft sign-in, which only signs in existing Absorb accounts. It also does not apply when no SSO is configured.
For OIDC, the provisioning setting alone is not enough. The configuration must also use dynamic keys and have a discovery URL.
For SAML, the assertion must include enough information to build the account. An assertion missing required fields does not create one, even with the setting turned on.
Where provisioning does not apply, the Learner sees a sign-in window or the login screen and cannot get past it, with no message explaining why.

If Learners report being stuck at sign-in, confirm their Absorb account exists before investigating anything else. For more information, see Incoming SAML 2.0 SSO Account Provisioning and OpenId Connect Single Sign-On.

Course Nudge Notifications

The Absorb app delivers exactly one type of Absorb notification to Teams: the Course Nudge, a repeating reminder that a Learner enrolled in a Course and has not finished it. These are the same nudges Absorb already sends by email. Teams is an additional delivery channel, and existing email notifications are unaffected.

Learners in an enabled organization receive nudges automatically, with no per Learner opt-in. Course Nudges are configured per Course by a nudge interval and a maximum nudge count. For more information, see How do Nudge and Notification Settings Work?

Welcome Message

The bot posts a one-time welcome message when the app is newly installed for a Learner. It is only sent when the Learner has been set up for notifications, so a Learner who newly installed the app and never received it is not set up. Learners who received v1.6.0 as an update from v1.5.0 may not receive a welcome message.

Part	Content
Title	Hi [learner name], welcome to [app name]!
Body	I can send you notifications from your LMS to remind you of pending training in which you are enrolled. You can access the corporate training from your LMS platform. Please note I'm a notification-only bot, so you can't interact with me. In order to receive notifications, an LMS account is required. Contact your LMS administrator for more information.

Course Nudge Cards

Each Course Nudge arrives as a card in the Learner's personal chat with the bot. The card text is fixed and does not use the Course's Message Template.

Part	Content
Title and notification	Reminder for [course name]
Body	Hi [first] [last], this message is to remind you that you enrolled in [course name] on [enrollment date] but have not yet completed your course. Please use the following link to access [portal name] and complete your course as soon as possible: [portal address]
Button	Open course

The date in the card is the enrollment date. Teams notifications never include a due date.

The Open Course Button

The Open course button on each card takes the Learner to the Course the reminder is about. Where the Learner lands depends on your Portal settings and device:

Situation	Where the Learner Lands
Embed Learning Experience is on	The Learner Experience tab in Teams, on that Course. A Learner who needs to sign in does so first and then lands on the Course.
Embed Learning Experience is off	The Course opens in the Learner's browser. If the browser does not open, the tab shows "Teams embedding is disabled for this portal." with an Open In Browser button.
The device does not support partitioned cookies	The fallback page with an Open Training button.

Notifications Not Sent to Teams

Only the Course Nudge and the welcome message are delivered to Teams. The following notifications continue to arrive by email and in the LMS only:

Course due date and overdue reminders, which have their own schedules.
Course assignment and enrollment notifications.
Course completion notifications.
Certification, Instructor Led Course (ILC) session, e-commerce, and all other Absorb notification types.

Learners in an organization that has not turned on Enable Nudge Notifications Bot in Teams receive no notifications in Teams.

Learners Who Do Not Receive Notifications

Even when the notification toggle is on, the following Learners do not receive Course Nudges in Teams:

Learners whose Absorb email address does not match their Microsoft email address, or their sign-in name where no email is set. Notifications match by email only, so a Learner can sign in to the tab successfully and still receive no notifications.
Learners who installed the app before setup was complete.
Learners enrolled through the Portal's mandatory Course setting, the Course every User is enrolled in automatically at their next login. These enrollments are excluded from Course Nudges by email as well. Training assigned any other way, such as by an Admin, an enrollment rule, a manager, or a schedule, receives nudges as normal.
Learners in a Course with nudge emails turned off or a maximum nudge count of zero.
Learners who have already received the maximum number of nudges for that Course.
Learners with a complete or failed enrollment, an inactive account, or an inactive Course.
Learners who do not have the app, or who removed or blocked it.

Turning Notifications Off

There is no per Learner opt-out in Absorb. A Learner can mute or remove the app in Teams, and removing it stops delivery.

To stop Teams notifications for everyone, a System Admin turns off Enable Nudge Notifications Bot in Teams. This does not stop nudge emails. Course Nudges in Teams are also sent regardless of whether the Course's Message Template is configured to send to the Learner.

Permissions Requested From Microsoft

The app requests only the Microsoft permissions it needs to identify Learners and deliver notifications. The Teams app requests two permissions:

identity: Confirms who the signed-in User is.
messageTeamMembers: Allows the bot to send the welcome message and notifications.

The app requests no access to mail, files, calendars, or Teams messages outside the app. Separately, Absorb reads the Learner's email address and User Principal Name (UPN) from Microsoft Graph and uses those two values only to match the Learner to their Absorb account at sign-in and to set them up for notifications at install. Your Microsoft 365 admin sees the authoritative permission list in Microsoft Entra when granting consent.

Migrate From the Legacy Absorb LMS Teams App

Organizations that use the older, notification-only Absorb LMS Teams app can move to the Absorb app with no gap in notifications. Both apps deliver notifications side by side during migration, and the legacy app will be retired at a later date. Follow these steps to migrate:

Grant admin consent and turn on both toggles in Client Settings, as described in Set Up the Absorb App.
Have your Teams administrator make the Absorb app available to Learners.
Have Learners add the Absorb app.
Have Learners remove the legacy Absorb LMS app once they have switched.

While a Learner has both apps installed, they can receive the same reminder from each. Removing the legacy app stops the duplicate. Both apps may also appear in your organization's Teams store during migration, which is expected.

The Enable Nudge Notifications Bot in Teams toggle controls only the Absorb app. Notifications from the legacy app follow the legacy Microsoft Teams settings, so turning off the new toggle does not stop them.

Troubleshooting

The following tables list common issues by where they appear in the setup and Learner journey. Each entry describes what you see, the likely cause, and how to resolve it.

Installing the App

These issues appear when Learners look for or add the app in Teams.

What You See	Likely Cause	What To Do
Searching for the app in Teams returns nothing.	The app has not been made available in your organization's Teams app catalog.	Your Teams administrator makes it available from Teams Admin Center > Teams apps > Manage apps.
The app is listed, but Add is unavailable or sends a request instead.	Your organization's Teams app policy restricts who can add apps.	Your Teams administrator approves the request or adjusts the policy.
A Microsoft Need admin approval screen appears the first time the tab is opened.	Admin consent has not been granted.	A Microsoft 365 admin grants consent in the Microsoft Entra admin center. Learners who already installed the app must remove and re-add it to receive notifications.
A Learner newly installed the app but never received the welcome message.	The Learner was not set up at install. The notification toggle was off, consent was missing, or Microsoft returned no email address for them.	Confirm consent and the notification toggle are in place, then have the Learner remove and re-add the app. Receiving the welcome message confirms it worked.
Two Absorb apps appear in your organization's Teams store.	The legacy app and the new app are both available during migration.	No action needed. This is expected during migration.

Configuring the Portal

These issues appear when saving or relying on the settings in Client Settings.

What You See	Likely Cause	What To Do
"Teams embedding is disabled for this portal. Please try again or contact support."	Most often, Embed Learning Experience is off. The message can also appear for other configuration reasons.	Check the toggle in Client Settings > Workplace apps. If it is already on, contact Absorb Support.
"This Microsoft Teams Tenant ID cannot be used for your configuration."	The Tenant ID is already recorded against another Absorb Portal. One Portal connects to one tenant.	Confirm the Tenant ID is correct. If it is, contact Absorb Support.
The notification toggle is on, but no Learner receives notifications.	The toggle was turned on before notification delivery was available for your organization. Saving with the toggle already on does not re-enable it.	Turn the toggle off and click Save, then turn it on and click Save. Learners who installed in the meantime must remove and re-add the app.
Notifications keep arriving after Enable Nudge Notifications Bot in Teams was turned off.	The notifications are coming from the legacy Absorb LMS app.	Check which app the card arrived in. Turn off the legacy Microsoft Teams nudge setting, or have the Learner remove the legacy app.
Everything saved and looks correct, but nothing works for Learners.	The settings were saved on a sandbox Portal.	Configure the production Portal instead.
The tab stopped working after routes were added or reordered.	The route change altered the address Teams uses, and that address is not yet authorized for Teams.	Contact Absorb Support. This cannot be fixed from your Portal settings.

Notifications

These issues relate to Course Nudges delivered in Teams.

What You See	Likely Cause	What To Do
Some Learners receive notifications and others do not.	In order of likelihood: the Learner installed the app before setup was complete or had v1.5.0; their Absorb email does not match their Microsoft email; or they do not have the app.	Have the Learner remove and re-add the app. If that does not resolve it, compare their Absorb email with their Microsoft email.
A Learner signs in to the tab without trouble but never receives notifications.	Notifications match by email only, while sign-in also accepts a username match.	Update the Learner's Absorb email to match their Microsoft email.
The same reminder arrives twice.	The Learner has both the legacy Absorb LMS app and the new app.	The Learner removes the legacy app.
Open course opens the browser, and the tab shows "Teams embedding is disabled."	Embed Learning Experience is off.	Turn on Embed Learning Experience to keep Learners inside Teams.
A Learner receives no reminder for the Portal's mandatory Course, but does for other Courses.	Enrollments created by the mandatory Course setting are excluded from Course Nudges, by email and in Teams.	No action needed. Training assigned any other way is unaffected.
A due date or overdue reminder did not arrive in Teams.	Due date and overdue reminders are not delivered to Teams.	No action needed. These reminders continue to arrive by email and in the LMS.
A Learner asks how to turn notifications off.	There is no Learner level opt-out in Absorb.	The Learner mutes or removes the app in Teams.
Notifications stop part-way through a Course.	The Course's maximum nudge count has been reached.	No action needed. The maximum is set per Course.

Signing In

These issues appear when Learners open the Learner Experience tab.

What You See	Likely Cause	What To Do
The tab loads completely blank, with no error.	The address Teams uses is not authorized for Teams, typically after a route was added or reordered.	Contact Absorb Support. This cannot be fixed from your Portal settings.
"Your account was not found in your organization's learning system..." appears for every Learner.	Usually a sign-in address issue rather than an account issue: none of your Portal's addresses qualifies for Teams. It also appears when a sandbox Portal was configured.	Confirm you configured the production Portal, then contact Absorb Support to review your Portal's addresses.
Some Learners get into the tab, but others cannot get past the sign-in screen, and no error appears.	Usually, Learners sign in to your Portal in different ways, such as SSO for employees and a username and password for contractors. Less often, the Learner has no Absorb account.	Compare how the affected Learners sign in to Absorb in a browser. If it differs, this configuration is not supported; contact Absorb Support. If it is the same, confirm their Absorb account exists.
A Learner is stuck at sign-in with no explanation.	No Absorb account exists and provisioning does not apply.	Confirm the account exists, then review the provisioning conditions in Learners Without an Absorb Account.
Learners are asked to sign in when automatic sign-in was expected.	In order of likelihood: your IdP is not federated through Microsoft Entra ID; the Learner's Absorb username and email do not match their Microsoft account; or admin consent has not been granted.	A sign-in prompt is expected for IdPs not federated through Microsoft Entra ID. Otherwise, align the Learner's identifiers or grant consent.
The Absorb login screen appears instead of your IdP.	Your Portal uses IdP-initiated SAML, which is not supported inside Teams.	Learners can sign in with their Absorb credentials. Signing in through your IdP requires an SP-initiated SAML or OIDC configuration.
A sign-in failure message names the pop-up blocker.	A pop-up blocker interrupted the sign-in window.	Allow pop-ups for Microsoft Teams and reopen the tab.
"Tenant ID not found."	The Learner is using a personal Microsoft account or certain guest access scenarios.	Sign in to Teams with a work account.
A window opens and closes on its own when reopening the tab.	Your IdP is confirming the Learner is already signed in.	No action needed.
The login page shows a different department's branding.	All Learners sign in through the single address Teams uses.	No action needed. After sign-in, Learners see their own Department's branding.

On a Device

These issues relate to specific devices or lesson behavior inside Teams.

What You See	Likely Cause	What To Do
A branded fallback page with an Open Training button appears instead of the Learner Experience.	The device does not support partitioned cookies.	No action needed. Click Open Training to open Absorb in the device's browser.
A device that should be supported still shows the fallback page.	A device management or browser policy blocks third-party or partitioned cookies.	Your IT team reviews the device or browser policy.
A lesson set to open in a pop-up or new tab opens inline.	Pop-up and new-tab launch settings have no effect inside Teams.	No action needed. This is expected.

Frequently Asked Questions

The following answers address common questions about the Absorb app for Microsoft Teams. Click a question to view its answer.

Does this cost extra?

No. The Teams app is included with an active Absorb subscription. The Portal requirements are a technical gate, not a commercial one.

Who has to approve what before Learners can use it?

Two approvals are needed, both on your side. A Teams administrator makes the app available in your organization's app catalog, and a Microsoft 365 admin grants admin consent in Microsoft Entra. Without consent, Learners see a Microsoft Need admin approval screen when they open the tab, and they are not set up for notifications.

We added the app before notifications were available. Will our Learners get reminders?

To make sure they do, each Learner should remove the app and add it again once Admin consent is granted and notifications are turned on. This includes anyone who had the earlier Absorb Aura version. Removing and re-adding the app does not affect their Courses, progress, or records in Absorb.

What notifications will our Learners get?

A one-time welcome message when they install the app, and then one kind of reminder: that they enrolled in a Course and have not finished it. The reminder names the Course and when they enrolled, and its Open course button takes them to that Course. Course Due Date and overdue reminders are not sent to Teams; those continue to arrive by email and in the LMS.

Why is one Learner not getting reminders when others are?

Usually, either they added the app before setup was finished and should remove and re-add it, or the email on their Absorb account does not match their Microsoft email. Reminders are matched by email.

Will Learners get reminders in Teams for mandatory or compliance training?

Yes, for training assigned to them by an Admin, an enrollment rule, a manager, or a schedule, as long as the Course has nudges turned on. The one exception is a Course set as your Portal's Mandatory Course, which every User is enrolled in automatically at login. Absorb does not send Course Nudges for it, by email or in Teams.

Can a Learner turn the notifications off?

Not from Absorb, as there is no per Learner setting. A Learner can mute or remove the app in Teams, which stops delivery. Turning notifications off for everyone is an Admin setting.

Will our Learners get the same reminder twice?

Only during migration, and only if they still have the legacy Absorb LMS app installed alongside the new one. Removing the legacy app stops the duplicate.

Can we turn it on for one team or one department first?

Not from Absorb, as the Absorb settings are Portal wide. Your Teams administrator can make the app available to specific people or groups in the Teams Admin Center, which determines who can reach it.

Will Absorb need to change anything on our portal?

Usually not. Teams needs one sign-in address on your Portal that it can use for everyone. If your Portal does not have one, Absorb adds a dedicated address on its own infrastructure, such as teams-yourcompany.myabsorb.com. There is nothing for you to host, register, or configure, your Learners never need to use it directly, and your existing addresses and sign-in continue as before.

Our Learners use a custom or vanity domain. Does that work?

Yes. Your custom domain keeps working exactly as it does today in a browser; it just is not the address Teams uses. The Teams app can only load pages on .myabsorb addresses, so the tab opens your Portal on its .myabsorb address instead. Learners never need to know or type either address.

Each of our Departments has its own route. Are we blocked?

No, provided every Learner signs in the same way. Department scoped routes cannot be used for Teams sign-in, so Absorb adds one shared route at no effort on your part. More than one SSO configuration, or a mix of SSO and non-SSO Learners, is a blocker.

We use Okta. Will Learners be signed in automatically?

Only if Okta is federated through Microsoft Entra ID. If it is not, Learners get a sign-in pop-up that hands off to Okta. This is expected behavior, not a fault.

Will Learners have to sign in every time they open the tab?

No. Learners signed in automatically are never prompted. Learners who sign in through a pop-up or the login screen are not asked again until their session expires, and session length is set by your IdP, not by Absorb.

Is training completed in Teams recorded differently?

No. It is the same enrollment record as the browser. A Course started in a browser can be resumed in Teams, and the other way around.

What happened to the Aura chat in Teams?

The separate chat tab has been removed, but Aura itself has not. Learners use Absorb Aura inside the Learner Experience tab, exactly as they do in a browser.