Making sure your microphone is muted on a Microsoft Teams call will soon be a lot easier, thanks to a new update from a potentially unexpected source.
The video conferencing platform has announced that it will soon allow some users to mute and unmute themselves when on a call using their Apple AirPods.
Users with wireless headphones will be able to directly control their microphone and audio signal for the first time, but only a few will be lucky enough to get the functionality for now.
Microsoft Teams and Apple AirPods
In its entry in the official Microsoft 365 roadmap, the update is described as helping Microsoft Teams “work seamlessly” with Apple AirPods.
The company notes that the same functionality is already available on iPhone with iOS 17, but will now come to Mac models with macOS Sonoma.
The tool is now also compatible with the new Teams app for Mac, meaning users will get the most up-to-date version of the service, wherever they are.
The update is listed as “in development” for now, but it has a scheduled rollout start date of March 2024, so AirPods fans shouldn't have to wait too long.
The news is the latest in a series of recent announcements about audio streaming in Microsoft Teams, as the company seeks to address what is clearly a growing concern for users.
This includes a recent addition that allows users to mute and unmute their audio by simply clicking the microphone icon in the Windows taskbar (or pressing Windows logo key + Alt + K), which in theory should Simplify the task of ensuring your microphone is on. It's not accidentally activated when it shouldn't be, but having such controls in such an obvious location could also put users at risk of accidentally clicking them.
The platform also recently announced that it will allow users to hide any general Microsoft Teams channels in their workplace or organization, which it says will go some way to “helping you focus on the channels that matter most to you.”
