One of the coolest Microsoft Teams features is now available to everyone
Communicate quickly and securely with Microsoft’s digital walkie talkie in Teams
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The wait is finally over asMicrosofthas announced that itswalkie talkie featureinMicrosoft Teamsis now generally available.
The feature, which wasfirst announced two years agoand has been in preview ever since, lets users of the software giant’svideo conferencing softwareuse their smartphone or tablet as a walkie talkie that can work over both a cellular or wireless connection.
While Teams' walkie talkie functionality will work on anyAndroid smartphoneby pressing and holding down an on-screen button when speaking and releasing the button to listen, it’s even more useful onrugged smartphones. This is because many rugged smartphones like theSamsung Galaxy XCover 5have a customizable button that can be mapped to Teams' walkie talkie feature so that workers won’t have to unlock their phones to access push-to-talk functionality.
Teams users can now test out Microsoft’s walkie talkie feature for themselves on their Android smartphones and tablets but the company has also gone ahead and brought this functionality to the Teams app for iOS.
Dedicated push-to-talk button
In addition to highlighting how Teams' walkie talkie feature can be used onSamsung’s rugged smartphones, Microsoft has also announced an expansion of its strategic partnership withZebra Technologiesin a newblog post.
As a result, Teams' walkie talkie feature is now generally available on a wide range of Zebra mobile devices including its rugged TC-series, customer-facing EC-series and its scanning device the MC-series. However, what sets these devices apart from others is the fact that they have a dedicated push-to-talk button so that frontline workers can instantly and securely communicate with their teams with the push of a button.
In a separateblog post, corporate vice president of modern workplace verticals at Microsoft, Emma Williams explained how the company’s digital walkie talkie feature is more secure than traditional radios, saying:
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“This functionality, built natively into Teams, reduces the number of devices employees must carry, and lowers costs for IT. Unlike analog devices with unsecure networks, customers no longer have to worry about crosstalk or eavesdropping from outsiders. And since Walkie Talkie functions over Wi-Fi or cellular data, this capability can be used across geographic locations.”
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After working with the TechRadar Pro team for the last several years, Anthony is now the security and networking editor at Tom’s Guide where he covers everything from data breaches and ransomware gangs to the best way to cover your whole home or business with Wi-Fi. When not writing, you can find him tinkering with PCs and game consoles, managing cables and upgrading his smart home.
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