You can’t even escape Microsoft Teams calls in your car now, I’m afraid

Having some peace and quiet from Microsoft Teams alerts while driving may soon be a little bit tougher thanks to a new update that allows users to make calls in even more kinds of cars.

Microsoft has confirmed that its video conferencing service will soon be getting an upgrade on Google’s Android Auto platform, meaning users with the software installed will be able to join meetings and make calls from their vehicle.

More specifically, users will be able to join meetings directly from the Microsoft Teams calendar view, giving them a much quicker way to get involved with the calls they need.

Microsoft Teams on Android Auto

In its official Microsoft 365 roadmap entry, the company noted that the feature will also allow users to quickly call your speed dial contacts and see your recent calls on your Android phones. Due care and attention should still be paid to the road whilst driving, so hopefully the calls taking place can be audio-only as well, meaning users can keep their eyes on the road.

The update is listed as being “in development”, but has an expected rollout start date of February 2024, so users shouldn’t have too long to wait to try it out.

The news comes nearly a year after the company first announced users of Apple’s Car Play platform could join more calls and meetings, following an update to the new calendar view that allowed users the ability to join a Microsoft Teams call using their iPhone while driving.

Microsoft Teams users have been able to dial into calls using Apple CarPlay since September 2021, as well the ability to call and message Teams contacts from most modern vehicles – although meeting video feeds do not appear on the dashboard.

The company also recently announced an update that will allow users to manage calendar notifications directly within their Microsoft Teams Activity Feed, meaning there should no longer be a bit of a scramble between apps and services to hush an annoying pop-up or alert.