Microsoft Teams is getting another great feature that may help you ditch Zoom

Microsoft Teams
(Image credit: Microsoft)

Microsoft Teams users on desktop will soon be able to push-to-talk as Microsoft is planning to add the feature to its video conferencing and online collaboration software later this year.

The software giant recently added the ability for users to add multiple accounts to Teams and the company has continually updated the service to lure users away from rivals such as Zoom.

In a recent post in the Microsoft Teams User Feedback Forum, a company spokesperson confirmed that push-to-talk functionality for the service is currently in development, saying: “Thank you for your feedback. This feature is under development and is planned for later this year. We will share an update as soon as one is available.”

Until then, Microsoft suggests that users take advantage of the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+Shift+M to toggle mute on or off while in a call. Microsoft Teams users on Android can already use push-to-talk through the app's Walkie Talkie feature and it looks like the desktop version of the software will offer similar functionality when it's updated later this year.

Quoted replies

After recently adding the option to allow users to turn off message previews, Microsoft is also preparing to bring another new feature to Teams called quoted replies.

Just like with push-to-talk, this feature was also confirmed by a company spokesperson in a post on its Microsoft Teams User Feedback Forum who said that: “Support for replying to a specific message is on the backlog for desktop”.

While quoted replies will come to Microsoft Teams' desktop app at a later date, this feature is currently only available on mobile. The quoted replies feature allows users to reply to a specific message so that what they have to say doesn't get lost in the chat itself.

While Slack may have been the top workplace chat app before the pandemic and Zoom was the preferred video conferencing service for many users during its early stages, Microsoft has continued to update Teams with new features and capabilities to make it a one stop communication tool for business users and enterprises.

Via Windows Latest

Anthony Spadafora

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.