The Microsoft Teams' Walkie-Talkie app won't unnecessarily drain the battery of old Bluetooth headsets anymore

The new feature will be added to Teams in March.

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microsoft teams walkie talkie app

The Walkie-Talkie app in Microsoft Teams will be enhanced with a feature that helps manage your Bluetooth headset to save battery. The new setting will control whether the microphone stays connected all the time or disconnects after some time of no use when your Bluetooth headset is connected to the app.

It was announced in a recent entry to the Microsoft 365 Roadmap, where the Redmond-based tech giant explains in great detail how it works.

Basically, the new feature will allow you to set how long the headset waits before disconnecting if there’s no activity in the Walkie-Talkie app when using Microsoft Teams. While this setting is on, you might notice a slight delay when you start talking again as the headset reconnects. You’ll hear a sound once it’s ready for you to speak. Microsoft says the delay is worth it for the significant battery savings on older Bluetooth headsets.

The new setting uses the SCO (Synchronous Connection-Oriented) technology, a Bluetooth feature that enhances device audio connections. It’s specifically used for transmitting audio signals, like using a Bluetooth headset for calls or walkie-talkie functions.

In the context of the Walkie-Talkie app, the SCO user setting controls how the Bluetooth headset connects to the app to help save battery life.

When your Bluetooth headset is connected, its microphone might always stay connected. This constant connection can drain the battery quickly, especially in older headsets. However, this new feature means the SCO setting lets the app control this connection.

    This feature is handy for older Bluetooth headsets, which might have less efficient batteries. Here’s what the entry says:

    This feature introduces SCO (Synchronous Connection-Oriented) user setting in the Walkie Talkie app. This feature is designed to manage the Bluetooth headset connection to optimize battery life. When a Bluetooth headset is connected to the Walkie Talkie app, the SCO setting controls whether the microphone remains constantly connected or disconnects after a period of inactivity. This helps in reducing battery drain by allowing the headset to disconnect when not in use and reconnect when needed. The user control feature allows users to set a timeout period after which the Bluetooth headset will automatically disconnect if there is no activity. While the SCO setting is turned on, users may experience a slight delay in transmission as the headset reconnects. However, once the headset is reconnected, users will hear a sound indicating that they can start transmitting on the app. This brief delay is a small trade-off for the substantial battery savings on older Bluetooth headsets.

    According to the entry, the new feature will be added to the Walkie Talkie app in Microsoft Teams for Android starting this March, and it should make the platform more inclusive and versatile, regardless of audio devices.

    In other news, Microsoft Teams now allows users to personalize the position of notifications on their screens. However, for now, the option won’t be available in Microsoft Teams for mobile.

    More about the topics: microsoft, Microsoft Teams

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