Microsoft Teams will stop you sitting on your own like a loser

Microsoft Teams web client
(Image credit: Microsoft)

Waiting endlessly for other people to join your Microsoft Teams meeting could soon be a lot less tedious thanks to a new update coming soon.

The video conferencing service is working on a feature that will automatically end what it calls "stale" Microsoft Teams meetings.

This should mean an end to the awkward occurence when users turn up to a meeting that has already been cancelled or postponed, or just show up at the wrong time or date.

Microsoft Teams meeting ends

In its entry on the official Microsoft 365 roadmap, the company notes that if a user is the sole participant in a meeting that has been identified as "stale" (as in, no one else accepted the invitation, or said they will be joining), they will see a dialog prompting to end the call or dismiss the notification. 

If no action is taken, the meeting will automatically end.

The entry notes that the feature is still "in development", but has an expected launch date of August 2022, meaning users shouldn't have too long to wait.

Upon release, it will be available to Microsoft Teams users across web, desktop and Mac, with no apparent admin permissions or changes needed.

The feature is the latest in a long series of upgrades to Microsoft Teams as the platform looks to make its service remains a painless experience.

The company recently revealed it would be adding a number of basic games to Microsoft Teams to help users pass the time whilst waiting for a call to begin.

Several titles from the company's Casual Games platform are set to be part of the move, aimed at helping kill a few minutes, for example if you're waiting for someone to join the call with a quick game of Connect 4.

The company has also outlined plans to introduce 3D avatars soon alongside more immersive Microsoft Teams meetings within the so-called "metaverse".

Mike Moore
Deputy Editor, TechRadar Pro

Mike Moore is Deputy Editor at TechRadar Pro. He has worked as a B2B and B2C tech journalist for nearly a decade, including at one of the UK's leading national newspapers and fellow Future title ITProPortal, and when he's not keeping track of all the latest enterprise and workplace trends, can most likely be found watching, following or taking part in some kind of sport.