Taking care of unwanted calls in Microsoft Teams is about to get a whole lot easier thanks to a new update from the company.
The video conferencing service has revealed it is working on giving users the ability to redirect an incoming call to voicemail without having to accept or reject it.
This should mean you can easily focus on the call, or work project you need to, rather than being distracted by Microsoft Teams meetings or calls disrupting your day.
Microsoft Teams call block
In its entry on the official Microsoft 365 roadmap, the update is listed as allowing users to "Redirect incoming call directly to voicemail from incoming call notification". In its slightly sparse description, the feature is described as allowing users receiving calls on "a Teams certified phone device" to easily redirect calls.
The mention of Teams-certified devices suggests this could be a useful feature not just for office workers, but also for users working out in the field, particularly in heavy industry, energy or manufacturing, who may not enjoy being disturbed by an unnecessary phone call whilst working on a project.
The feature is listed as being "in development" for the time being, with an expected rollout date of March 2024. Initially it will only be available for Android users, but if it proves a success, we'd expect it to expand to other platforms soon.
The release comes shortly after Microsoft Teams also upgraded its Walkie Talkie mode to allow users to communicate over multiple channels, connecting quickly to multiple teams or accounts, hopefully improving communication and collaboration across projects and businesses.
Elsewhere, AI has been playing an increasingly central role in Microsoft Teams, with the company launching an "AI library" that looks to make it easier for developers to add Large Language Models (LLMs) into the platform. Microsoft Teams recently revealed a tool which uses AI to generate not just meeting notes, but also suggest follow-up actions, alongside timeline markers so you can skip to the most relevant part of a call instantly.
