Android And IOS Users Can Now Use Microsoft's Walkie Talkie Feature

Microsoft Teams brings an update to the recently launched feature, Walkie Talkie. (photo: doc. microsoft)

JAKARTA - Microsoft Teams presents an update for the recently launched feature, Walkie Talkie, which is now available for Apple iOS users. The feature lets Microsoft Teams users turn their smartphones or tablets into walkie-talkies that work over cellular data or Wi-Fi.

This feature was originally announced two years ago and has been mostly available in preview since then. The Walkie Talkie feature rolled out widely on Android in September 2020, but now Microsoft says it's available for Zebra mobile devices as well as iPhone and iPad.

Only users in certain channels can interact with each other, similar to two users from the same team being able to have a private chat. Outside parties and users can only engage if they have been granted permission or have been added to this channel.

Microsoft has worked with Zebra Mobile to implement this functionality. Microsoft primarily applies this to frontline workers, employees who deal with customers and carry out day-to-day operations within the company.

Launching Digital Trends, Wednesday, January 19, the software maker's collaboration with Zebra Technologies makes it work with dedicated push-to-talk buttons for fast and secure communication. These devices are widely used by frontline workers, employees who have helped steer the world through the ongoing pandemic.

To add it, the company or organization must open the Application Settings Policy from the admin center. Once activated, the feature will be available in the app within 48 hours.

This Walkie Talkie feature will also be present on various Zebra Mobile devices intended for enterprise use. The combination of the Teams feature and the PTT button on the Zebra device enables easier access and connectivity for essential workers.

The Walkie Talkie feature is still rare in communication applications. But WhatsApp lets users record audio snippets that can be sent and received, and Slack rolled out Huddles features such as Discord last year to let people get in and out of calls with ease.

Apple did launch its own Walkie Talkie feature on the Apple Watch in 2018, using push-to-talk via FaceTime Audio calls.