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One of the most annoying (and slightly painful) parts of joining a Microsoft Teams conversation may soon be fixed by a new update.
The video conferencing service is a popular choice for many businesses, which means calls with large numbers of participants at the same time and from the same location (such as a conference room) are common.
However, when several people join a meeting in the same room, it creates a feedback loop, causing echo, which in most cases quickly escalates to howling — with Microsoft comparing the sound to when a musician holds the microphone too close to a speaker.
The howling of teams
Fortunately, a new solution is coming for Microsoft Teams users. In his entry in the official Microsoft 365 roadmap (opens in new tab)describes the new “Ultrasound Howling Detection” how it aims to prevent this noise for users on Windows and Mac around the world.
Microsoft says the update should mean that if multiple users join on laptops from the same location, it will share with the user that another Teams device near them has been detected and already connected with audio to the current meeting.
If a user already joins with their audio on, Microsoft Teams will automatically mute the microphone and speakers of any new person who subsequently joins the conversation, hopefully ending the howling and screeching feedback.
Thankfully, the update is already listed as 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 aimed at improving the audio quality of 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 adaptation of audio in poor acoustic environments, and enabling users to speak and hear simultaneously without interruptions .