Microsoft Teams finally solves this deafening annoyance

One of the most irritating (and somewhat painful) parts of participating in a Microsoft Teams conversation may soon be solved by a new update.

Video conferencing service is a popular choice for many businesses, meaning that calls with large numbers of participants participating simultaneously and from the same location (such as a conference room) are common.

Do you use OneDrive or Google Drive? Beware of this malware

Often when multiple people participate in a meeting in the same room, however, a feedback loop is created, causing echo, which in most cases quickly escalates into howls – with Microsoft comparing the sound to when a musician holds the microphone too close to a speaker.

Howls from teams

Fortunately, a new solution is coming for Microsoft Teams users. In its entry in the official Microsoft 365 roadmap, the new “Ultrasound Howling Detection” describes how it intends to prevent this noise for users on Windows and Mac around the world.

Microsoft says the update should mean that when multiple users on laptops participate from the same location, it shares with the user that another Teams device in their area is detected and already connected to the current meeting with audio.

If a user has already participated with their audio on, Microsoft Teams will automatically mute the microphone and speakers of any new person who then joins the conversation, hopefully putting an end to the crying and screeching feedback.

Fortunately, the update is already listed as being in development, with an expected general availability date of March 2023, so users won’t have to wait too long to enjoy it.

The news follows a number of recent updates largely focused on improving audio quality on Microsoft Teams calls using AI and machine learning.

The new updates are the result of using a machine learning model trained on 30,000 hours of speech samples, and include echo cancellation, better adapting audio in poor acoustic environments and allowing users to simultaneously speak and hear without interruptions.

Source: technologywatchpost