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PBX new features

Choose a phone system to see what was added in its last two releases and what’s coming next.

3CXTeams PhoneFreePBXYeastar P-SeriesGrandstream UCM

3CX

3CX guides →

3CX ships numbered updates to Version 20 every few months. Each update goes through Alpha, Beta and Release Candidate builds before the final release.

Latest release

V20 Update 9

16 June 2026

  • Redesigned Web ClientNew look for Team view, dialer, chat, call history, contacts, voicemail, recordings and settings, with compact and comfortable layouts.
  • Queue callback on requestCallers press a key to be called back and keep their place in the queue.
  • Time-driven and cumulative escalationCalls move to the next skill group after a set time, and more agent groups are added to the ringing as the wait grows.
  • Comfort prompts and wait time announcementsUp to 15 messages during long waits, plus an estimated wait time based on real agent data.
  • No-answer announcementsPlay a message before a call goes to the no-answer destination.
  • Smarter AI assistantThe AI PA sorts incoming calls in real time, screens calls by chat, email or voicemail, and flags urgent callers by keyword.
  • AI emails during callsAI can draft and send follow-up or confirmation emails while on a call (needs your own mail provider).
  • AI spam filtering and better route-by-nameAI agents screen out unwanted calls and transfer callers to the right person more accurately.
  • Grok transcriptionxAI Grok added as a low-cost transcription option, with 30+ languages.
  • Custom SIP trunk templatesCreate, copy, tune and export SIP provider templates without losing numbers or routing.
  • Holiday prompts and remote syslogHoliday messages for queues, ring groups, IVRs and departments, and system logs sent to a syslog or SIEM server.

In March 2026, before this update, 3CX also launched a paid Basic Edition and a free tier for very small offices.

Previous release

V20 Update 8

February 2026

  • AI agentsAI agents that can answer and handle calls with less manual setup.
  • AI routing, screening and assistantsAI call handling extended across more of the system.
  • Call and voicemail transcriptionVoicemail transcription on 3CX AI plans. Call transcription needs Enterprise AI or Enterprise+.
  • Boss and secretary modeAn assistant can screen a manager’s incoming calls.
  • SSO by user groupSingle sign-on can be managed through user groups.
  • Shared voicemail for queues and groupsQueues and ring groups can share one voicemail box.
  • Automatic phone firmware on provisioningNew phones pull the right firmware on first boot.
  • Sentiment analysis in CRM journalingCall sentiment is written to the CRM with the call record.

A follow-up 8A build (March 2026) added security protections and new certificates.

Coming next

V20 Update 10

Release Candidate out 13 Oct 2026

  • MCP serverConnect an AI assistant to the PBX to pull reports and carry out actions, within role-based permissions.
  • Self-hosted AI serverRun AI transcription and call analysis on your own server, including Apple Silicon Macs.
  • Better AI call summariesSummaries now include notes and action items, and you can edit the summary prompt.
  • Customer service AI agents and call scriptsAI agents built for customer calls, guided by scripts.
  • Programmable extensionsExtensions whose behaviour can be controlled by code.
  • Vendor firmware libraryUpload manufacturer firmware, assign it to chosen phones or models and schedule updates, with 3CX-tested firmware as the default.
  • Phones page and custom phone templatesMove, reprovision or reboot phones from one page, and create or edit your own phone templates.
  • Choose your outbound caller IDUsers pick which of their numbers to show on each call (admins turn this on).
  • Pop-out dialer and quick conferencesThe Web Client dialer opens in its own window, and you can start an audio conference from it.
  • Department music on holdEach department can have its own hold music, including for shared parking.
  • Native Odoo CRM integrationCalls, chats and contacts sync with Odoo without custom templates.
  • SendGrid or Zoho for system emailSend system emails through SendGrid, Zoho or another mail service.
  • Longer mobile pushMobile apps stay reachable for 14 days between connections instead of 7.

New 3CX apps (V5.8) came out on 21 October 2026: live call translation with Apple Intelligence on iPhone, queue tools on Android and iPhone, and Google or Microsoft 365 sign-in on the Windows softphone. Some of these need Update 10.

Microsoft Teams Phone

Teams Phone guides →

Teams Phone has no version numbers. Microsoft rolls out features continuously, so the two “releases” below are the two most recent monthly update rounds.

Latest release

September – October 2026 updates

Sep–Oct 2026

  • Teams Phone Agent (generally available)An AI receptionist that answers business lines in 60+ languages, books appointments and hands over to a person with a summary.
  • Agent as queue overflowCall queues can send calls to the Phone Agent when no one is signed in or the wait is too long.
  • Shared call history in the Queues appStatus tags (Unresolved, In progress, Resolved), 45 days of reporting, and queue management without admin rights.
  • Shared voicemail in the Queues appVoicemails left through auto attendants appear in the Queues app so the team can deal with them.
  • Custom recording noticesAdmins can change the recording and transcription announcements callers hear.
  • Queues supervisor dashboard (preview)Public preview for Teams Premium customers.
  • Zero-touch provisioning for Android phonesNew Android-based Teams phones set themselves up from first boot with a six-digit code.
  • New certified devicesIncludes the Yealink MP66W rugged phone and EPOS IMPACT 1000 headsets.
Previous release

July – August 2026 updates

Jul–Aug 2026

  • Automatic queue call recordingCalls answered through call queues can be recorded and transcribed automatically, stored in SharePoint.
  • AI call recaps in the Queues appA Recap tab shows a summary, key points and follow-ups. Needs Teams Premium.
  • Queue data in usage reportsQueue activity now appears in the Teams Premium usage report.
  • Passwordless resource accounts for phonesShared and common-area phones can sign in without passwords, with a migration wizard.
  • Phone management movesTeams phones and SIP phones are now managed in the Pro Management Portal instead of the Teams admin centre.
  • Older phones retiredTeams phones that only support legacy sign-in stopped working on 1 August and need replacing.
  • Multiple lines on Teams mobilePeople with more than one phone number can pick which line to call from, call back on the right line and filter call history by line in the iPhone and Android apps.

Improved call transfer (destination presence, blind transfer and transfer buttons in the call bar) shipped just before this, in June.

Coming next

Coming next

Nov 2026 onwards

  • Intelligent call delegation (Nov 2026)A Copilot agent screens incoming calls, gives you context and books follow-ups. Needs Teams Phone and Copilot.
  • Bigger call history (Nov 2026)History grows from 100 to 3,000 calls or six months, and missed calls and voicemails merge into one entry.
  • Call history tabs per linePeople with more than one line get a separate tab for each line’s history, voicemail and recordings.
  • Call lock for delegatesA manager can lock a call so delegates can’t join, with an optional tone when they do.
  • Teams Phone Mobile default changeCalls to Teams Phone Mobile numbers will ring the phone’s own dialler by default unless an admin changes the policy.
  • Custom Copilot Studio voice agentsStill in early preview (Frontier), billed separately.

Microsoft cancelled the planned AI interpreter for Teams phones in September 2026.

FreePBX

FreePBX guides →

FreePBX has major versions every few years and adds features through module updates in between. FreePBX 17 is the current version, so its recent additions count as the latest release.

Latest release

FreePBX 17 – additions in 2025–26

Jul 2025 – Aug 2026

  • Browser-based softphoneSangoma’s softphone that runs in a web browser, with nothing to install (July 2025).
  • Dial Plan VisualizerShows your call routing as a diagram so you can see where calls go (October 2025).
  • SAML single sign-on moduleLog in to FreePBX with your company identity provider for better security (November 2025).
  • Scribe AI transcriptionCall and voicemail transcription, about a year old and still being improved.
  • Softphone licensing changeSoftphone access now changes as commercial module licences expire, so check licence dates (August 2026).
Previous release

FreePBX 17 launch

2 August 2024

  • Debian 12 baseReplaces CentOS, which is end of life, for long-term support and quicker security updates.
  • Easy cloud installAn install script sets FreePBX up on a Debian virtual machine at AWS, DigitalOcean, Vultr and others.
  • Asterisk 21 and PJSIP onlyNewer Asterisk by default. The old chan_sip driver and macros are gone.
  • PHP 8.2 and a newer web interfaceFaster, more up-to-date admin pages.

FreePBX 17 is supported until 30 June 2028. FreePBX 16 support ends on 1 January 2027 or sooner.

Coming next

FreePBX 18

Beta due November 2026, release planned 1 January 2027

  • Debian 13 baseMoves to the next Debian release.
  • Asterisk 23 / 24Targets Asterisk 23, then the Asterisk 24 long-term release (Asterisk 24 came out 21 Oct 2026).
  • New nftables firewallThe firewall moves from iptables to nftables for simpler country (GeoIP) blocking, better IPv6 and support for attacker blocklists. Old custom rules can be migrated.
  • Alpha and beta testingA test (alpha) build was planned for September 2026 and the public beta for November 2026.
  • Community wish listSangoma has collected feature requests and says a full feature list is coming soon.

Dates and features for FreePBX 18 are plans and can change. Don’t use the beta on a live phone system.

Yeastar P-Series

Yeastar P-Series guides →

Yeastar releases a new P-Series version roughly every month, with a beta a few weeks before each general release.

Latest release

V25.3

12 October 2026

  • Message Flow DesignerDrag-and-drop builder for messaging workflows and chatbots.
  • Yeastar for Teams desktop pluginMake and take PBX calls inside Microsoft Teams without Linkus or a desk phone.
  • SMS and WhatsApp in call flowsSend SMS or WhatsApp from Call Flow Designer, IVR and queue keypresses.
  • Missed-call auto repliesAutomatic SMS or WhatsApp reply when an extension or queue misses a call.
  • More parking timeout destinationsParked calls that time out can go to an IVR, queue or ring group.
  • Hold music and prompt managementManage music-on-hold playlists, custom prompts and ringtones.
  • Voicemail greeting managementBulk-set greetings and manage user-added greetings for extensions and group voicemail.
  • Croatian and SerbianNew web interface languages.
Previous release

V25.2

15 September 2026

  • Call confirmationPeople receiving forwarded calls press 1 to accept, so calls don’t end up in their mobile voicemail.
  • External numbers in ring groupsRing groups can include mobile or outside numbers.
  • Last-agent routing for queuesRepeat callers go back to the agent who helped them last time.
  • Multiple extensions per phoneAuto provisioning can put several extensions on one desk phone.
  • Cisco phone directoryCisco phones can search PBX extensions and company contacts.
  • IVR caller ID namesAdd a label (like “Sales”) to the caller ID when an IVR sends a call to a ring group or queue.
  • Read receiptsRead status for WhatsApp, Facebook and live chat conversations.
  • Rolling report datesScheduled reports can use ranges like “Yesterday” or “Last month”.

V25.1 (18 August 2026) came just before this and added SMS and external tools (MCP) for the AI Receptionist, plus automatic transcription rules.

Coming next

Next version

Not announced yet

Yeastar hasn’t published a beta newer than V25.3 yet. New betas usually appear a few weeks before each release.

Grandstream UCM

Grandstream UCM guides →

Grandstream releases UCM6300 firmware a few times a year, with beta builds first. Bug-fix-only releases are skipped below.

Latest release

Firmware 1.0.33.42

14 August 2026

  • Call queue reportsQueue reports under CDR > Statistics, exportable as XLSX, CSV or PDF.
  • Scheduled reportsReports can be emailed automatically on a schedule.
  • Report send logSee and delete reports that have already been sent.

Version 1.0.33.32 (2 July 2026) between these two releases was bug fixes only.

Previous release

Firmware 1.0.33.30

13 May 2026

  • AI transcription and summariesCall and meeting transcription and summaries, voicemail transcription and AI-generated voice prompts.
  • AI settings pageAll AI options in one place under Integrations.
  • Meeting transcription optionsTurn on, set the language and auto-start transcription for scheduled meetings.
  • Call statistics reportsExtension, PBX, outbound caller ID, IVR and ring group reports.
  • Google Workspace sign-inSingle sign-on and user sync with Google Workspace, alongside Entra ID.
  • Bitrix24 CRMConnect the UCM to Bitrix24.
  • Strict Geo-IP blockingSilently drop all traffic from blocked countries.
  • Cisco DND sync and Yealink zero configDND syncs from Cisco desk phones, and Yealink AX, T4, T5, T7 and T8 phones are supported by zero config.
  • Holidays by weekSet holidays by date or by week, for example “first Monday”.

Several of these first appeared in the 1.0.33.7 and 1.0.33.21 betas (March–April 2026).

Coming next

Firmware 1.0.35 (beta)

Beta 1.0.35.8 available now

Grandstream has posted beta 1.0.35.8 for the UCM6300 series. Its new features haven’t been confirmed yet. Back up your UCM before installing any beta.

About this page

Checked on 24 October 2026. Features can depend on your licence or plan, and “coming next” items are plans that can change or be delayed. Always take a backup before you upgrade.