Microsoft Teams can now turn your Phone into a walkie-talkie!

20 Jan, 2022

Technology

The walkie-talkie feature was announced by Microsoft two years ago, now the company is finally making it available to everyone that uses Microsoft Teams.

What is Walkie Talkie on Microsoft Teams?

As the name implies, the Walkie Talkie function basically lets you connect your Microsoft Teams with your team members by communicating with them real time using your voice. Users who are connected to Walkie Talkie in a channel can listen to each other speak. You will be speaking one at a time, so only one person can get the attention and will not be interrupted by others.

Microsoft’s vision is to replace the need for carrying bulky radios and offer a secure line of communication through Wi-Fi or cellular internet connectivity. The company teamed up with Zebra mobile devices to implement the digital Walkie Talkie functionality.

Target Audience

Microsoft originally released Walkie Talkie with frontline workers in mind. To give you a visual, employees who are customer-facing and run day-to-day operations inside companies and workers who need to be communicating with each other in real time throughout the day. The software maker’s collaboration with Zebra Technologies makes it work with a dedicated push-to-talk button for quick and secure communications. These devices are used widely by frontline workers, the employees that have helped steer the world through the ongoing pandemic.

As the frontline faces continuous constraints from labor shortages and supply chain disruptions, they want technology that saves them time, helps them communicate more seamlessly, and maximizes their efficiency when completing repetitive tasks,” Microsoft writes in the blog post.

But despite having been produced with frontline workers in mind, walkie talkie is available for enterprise users as well.

Who Can Use It?

Microsoft is making the walkie-talkie feature is available to all users of its communications app today. So good news you can use it on all iOS devices or Android devices with Google Mobile Services (GMS).

The app is also available for all types of paid licenses for the Teams app under Microsoft 365 subscriptions. An important thing to remember is the app is not pre-installed. It has to be enabled by the IT admins first so you can use it.

Although you can use the feature on any iOS or Android (GMS) phone, Microsoft has also teamed up with certain companies to introduce a dedicated Push-to-talk button on the device itself. These devices have a push-to-talk button just like the lock or volume buttons on your phone.

How Does Walkie Talkie Works in Teams?

The walkie-talkie in Microsoft Teams allows you to communicate with anyone in the channel who is connected to the walkie-talkie presently. Like traditional walkie-talkies, only one person can talk at a time. But all the others connected to the channel can listen. So, it allows you to communicate your message to more than one person at a time if they’re connected to the channel.

An important question that you may have is whether if you need to keep your phone unlocked at all times to be able to use the walkie-talkie in Microsoft Teams? Not at all. As long as you’re connected to a channel, you’ll be able to listen to the communication in that channel even if your phone is locked.

For guidance on how to set up walkie talkie in your Teams read our article “Deploying Walkie Talkie in Microsoft Teams”