GitHub is making three significant changes to Copilot policies and billing that will reshape how developers and enterprises use the AI coding assistant. Beginning September 28, 2026, the company will merge its separate Copilot Chat experiences into a single unified platform, implement stricter upfront payment requirements for business and enterprise customers, and shift code review settings to a more thorough default level.

What's Changing With Copilot's Unified Experience?

GitHub is consolidating three separate Copilot interfaces into one. Copilot Chat on github.com, Copilot Chat in GitHub Mobile, and the Copilot cloud agent will merge into a single experience with unified policies. This move simplifies how developers interact with the tool across different platforms and standardizes the rules governing its use.

One notable shift involves data retention. Currently, Copilot Chat on github.com only keeps conversation history for 28 days. After the September 28 launch, chat data will be retained for the life of the account, matching the existing cloud agent experience. This means developers will have permanent access to their conversation history, which could help with code review and documentation purposes.

The unified experience will be enabled by default, and it will leverage GitHub's Sandbox technology to provide faster cloud performance. However, developers and teams can opt out if they prefer. The catch: opting out means losing access to Copilot on github.com and GitHub Mobile entirely.

How Will Billing Change for Business and Enterprise Customers?

GitHub is reopening signups for Copilot Business and Copilot Enterprise customers starting September 1, 2026, but with stricter payment requirements. The company is strengthening account vetting and updating billing processes for customers paying by credit card or PayPal to improve service reliability.

Here are the key billing changes taking effect October 1, 2026:

• Upfront Payment Required: All new Copilot Business and Enterprise seat assignments will require payment before users gain access to the tool.
• Monthly Charges at Billing Cycle Start: Existing customers will see upfront charges for all assigned seats at the beginning of each billing cycle, rather than prorated charges throughout the month.
• Usage Overages: If teams exceed their included usage allowances, additional payment will be required to continue using Copilot.
• No Refunds on Seat Removal: Revoking a seat does not trigger a prorated refund; the change takes effect in the next monthly billing cycle.
• Pricing Stability: Copilot Business and Enterprise prices themselves are not changing, only the payment structure and timing.

Importantly, spend controls, usage tracking, and the ability to purchase additional AI credits will remain available for organizations managing their Copilot costs.

Why Is GitHub Changing the Code Review Default?

GitHub is shifting the default effort level for Copilot code review from "Lite" to "Balanced" starting September 28, 2026. This means the AI will conduct more thorough code reviews by default, examining code more carefully for potential issues and improvements.

Organizations and repositories can set their own defaults. The organization-level default applies to all repositories that haven't selected their own setting, while repository-level defaults apply to automatically requested reviews. For manual reviews, developers can still choose which effort level to use directly from the pull request interface.

If teams prefer to keep the lighter review approach, they need to explicitly change their settings away from "Default" and select "Lite" before September 28. GitHub will respect that choice and won't override it with the new Balanced default.

Steps to Prepare for These Changes

• Review Unified Experience Policy: Business and enterprise administrators should visit Copilot settings on github.com before September 28 to review the new unified policy and confirm it aligns with their team's access management needs.
• Adjust Code Review Defaults: If your organization prefers Lite-level code reviews, change your repository or organization settings away from "Default" and explicitly select "Lite" before the September 28 deadline to preserve your current experience.
• Prepare for Billing Changes: Existing Copilot Business and Enterprise customers should review the new billing structure taking effect October 1 and ensure their payment methods are current to avoid service interruptions.
• Understand Data Retention: Developers should be aware that chat history will now persist indefinitely, which may affect privacy considerations or data management policies within your organization.

These changes reflect GitHub's effort to strengthen the Copilot platform's reliability and consistency across different interfaces. While the pricing for Copilot Business and Enterprise remains unchanged, the shift to upfront billing and stricter account vetting signals the company's commitment to sustainable growth and service quality. Developers and organizations have until late September to review their settings and adjust configurations to match their preferences.