Microsoft is working on a new accessibility feature that should make it easier for users to unmute during Teams meetings. The company has recently updated its Microsoft 365 roadmap to indicate that push-to-talk support is coming to desktop users in October (via Dr.Windows).
The mute function is a convenient feature in Microsoft Teams, which helps preserve the meeting flow and ensures that the participants’ privacy isn’t compromised. Currently, Microsoft Teams supports a microphone button and a toggle mute key (Ctrl+Shift+M) to switch states between mute and unmute, respectively. However, some users have complained that this feature does not come in handy in situations when participants unmute their mics to speak and then forget to mute once again.
Fortunately, the Redmond giant is aware of this issue, and soon a push-to-talk option will be available in Microsoft Teams meetings. This feature will allow attendees to temporarily unmute their microphone by pressing the “Ctrl+Spacebar” keys. This capability is available on the Teams mobile app, and it eliminates the need to click the microphone button repeatedly.
The push-to-talk experience is one of the much-anticipated features, and it should help organizers run their meetings smoothly. However, it remains to be seen whether the feature will work when the focus is on a window other than Teams. In case you missed it, Microsoft is also planning to bring the push-to-talk Walkie Talkie feature to Teams phones.
