Czarina Grace Del Valle Tech 04.26.2021 10:Apr AM EDT

Microsoft Teams Rolling Out Skype-Like Feature: How to Activate Call Merge for Big Teams

Microsoft Teams Rolling Out Skype-Like Feature: How to Activate Call Merge for Big Groups — After years of waiting, Microsoft Teams users can finally use some of the best call features available on Skype. The platform can now merge two or more phone calls with one huge conference attended by multiple people. Photo : Drew Angerer/Getty Images

After years of waiting, Microsoft Teams users can finally use some of the best call features available on Skype. The platform can now merge two or more phone calls with one huge conference attended by multiple people.

Microsoft Teams is a fantastic communications platform that lets users securely connect, access, share, and co-author files in real-time. It also has some useful widgets like notes, document manager, and calendar add-ons. As today's lifestyle moves deeper in the digital realm thanks to the pandemic, the correct communications platform has become essential.

In March 2021, Microsoft Teams and Skype opened up interoperability capabilities between the two platforms. From the official announcement in the interoperability features, teams users can now "search for and start a one-on-one text-only conversation or an audio/video call with a Skype user." Moreover, Skype users can "search for and start a one-on-one text-only conversation or an audio/video call with a Teams user."

These features work for desktop, web, and mobile platforms, creating a huge productivity boost for people who have multiple contacts on both platforms.

However, upon comparison, Microsoft Teams users noticed that their platform was missing some of the more essential features that Skype possessed, including merging calls.

Microsoft Teams Request for Skype-Like Features

Back in 2019, a number of users have already expressed the need for conference call meetings. Specifically, this is to merge calls in Skype to create a conference. This is especially handy for business meetings with multiple people of different teams being involved.

A follow-up report came in on April 21 by Onmsft, noting that Microsoft Teams had been programming this feature into their system and is in the process of completion. The Call Merging feature enables users to combine "active unheld 1:1 call into another 1:1 call or another group call." The feature is available for both PSTN and VOIP calls in Microsoft Teams.

How to Activate Call Merge on Microsoft Teams

The call merge option is enabled by default, and Microsoft Teams users can activate this in a number of ways. The feature lets them:

Merge and incoming call with an ongoing call
Make a new call and merge it into an existing call

To merge calls, head to the call controls and select the more options represented by the "three dots." The option "Call Merge" should now be available. When merging the calls, the app will automatically put the first call on hold to link up the second call the user makes.

This feature is currently only available to desktop users and support browsers like Microsoft Edge, Google Chrome, and Safari. The mobile feature is currently under development and should be available some time soon. Mobile users might still join a conference call. However, they cannot be the host of the merging process.

Microsoft Teams is bringing in exciting and helpful features to boost the productivity of its users further. Mobile users will have to wait a little longer, but Microsoft will certainly continue to improve its communications platform.

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