You Can Use Your Phone as a Walkie Talkie with Microsoft Teams

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Key notes

  • Microsoft released a public preview of the Teams Walkie Talkie app for iPhones, to help frontline workers communicate.
  • Teams Walkie Talkie app for Android has been available in preview for a little more than a year.
  • The Redmond-based tech company is using Teams as an alternative to workers carrying heavy and uncomfortable PTT radios.
  • This app shows you how many people are currently connected to the channel, and offers a shield from crosstalk and eavesdropping.
Teams Walkie Talkie Windows

If you weren’t aware, Microsoft has released a public preview of the Teams Walkie Talkie app for iPhones, which is designed to help frontline workers communicate. 

Also, the Teams Walkie Talkie app for Android has been available in preview for a little more than a year and came to Samsung Galaxy XCover Pro devices late last year.

In a nutshell, the app provides push-to-talk services for frontline workers, allowing participants to talk one at a time, taking turns talking and listening, just like with walkie-talkies.

A new alternative to in-the-field communication

The Redmond-based tech company is actually promoting the Teams app as an alternative to workers carrying heavy and uncomfortable PTT radios.

Similar to a walkie-talkie, the app has a microphone button that users need to press and hold to speak, and then the user needs to release the button to listen to the other speaker.  

It’s the same as the push-to-talk option on Discord, to give you another example.

This push-to-talk experience enables clear, instant, and secure voice communication over the cloud, turning employee- or company-owned iOS and Android smartphones and tablets into a walkie-talkie

One of the many benefits is that users don’t need to worry about frequency static that affects analog devices.

Teams will also offer a shield from crosstalk and eavesdropping and can work across large geographic regions since it works over Wi-Fi or cellular networks. 

As the tech giant mentioned, frontline or first-line workers are a key segment in Microsoft’s growth plans for Microsoft 365/Office 365.

How can I use my phone as a walkie talkie with Microsoft Teams?

So, once you set it up, the Walkie Talkie app can be accessed from an icon in the navigation bar.

Teams users can only connect to one channel at a time, but they can switch channels to listen or speak on a different channel. The app also shows you how many people are currently connected to the channel. 

Are you excited to use this new Teams feature? Let us know in the comments section below.

Before you go, don’t miss our guide on how to perform a Teams Walkie Talkie setup and use this feature.

More about the topics: Microsoft Teams, Windows 11