(Updated) Microsoft Teams: Voice tethering

Voice tethering in Microsoft Teams, rolling out mid-March to July 2026, attributes interpreter-spoken content to Deaf or hard-of-hearing participants in captions, transcripts, and meeting intelligence. This improves accuracy and accountability without admin setup; no action is required, but informing users is recommended.

2026-06-15T17:21:51.947Z

<p>Updated June 15, 2026: We have updated the timeline. Thank you for your patience.&nbsp;</p><p><b>[Introduction]</b></p><p><b>Voice tethering</b> builds on the recent introduction of <b>Sign Language Mode</b> in <i>Microsoft Teams</i>. When a sign language interpreter voices on behalf of a Deaf or hard‑of‑hearing (D/HH) participant, Teams will now attribute captions, transcripts, and meeting intelligence—such as Copilot notes, summaries, action items, and insights—to the D/HH participant rather than the interpreter. This update ensures accurate representation in meetings, clarifies who is contributing to the conversation, and improves downstream meeting accuracy and accountability.</p><p>This message is associated with Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID <a href="https://www.microsoft.com/microsoft-365/roadmap?filters=&amp;searchterms=553223" target="_blank">553223</a>.</p><p><b>[When this will happen]</b></p><ul><li><b>Targeted Release (Worldwide): </b>We will begin rolling out in <b>mid-March 2026</b> and expect to complete by <b>late March 2026</b>.</li><li><b>General Availability (Worldwide, GCC): </b>We will begin rolling out in <b>mid-May 2026</b> (previously&nbsp;early April)&nbsp;and expect to complete by <b>end of July 2026</b> (previously&nbsp;late May).</li></ul><p><b>[How this affects your organization]</b></p><p><i>Who is affected</i></p><ul><li>Organizations with meeting participants who are Deaf or hard‑of‑hearing and use sign language interpreters in&nbsp;<i>Teams meetings</i>.</li><li>Any users who participate in meetings with <b>Sign Language Mode enabled</b>.</li></ul><p><i>What will happen</i></p><ul><li>Voice contributions made by interpreters will be attributed to the D/HH participant across:<br><ul><li>Live captions</li><li>Meeting transcripts</li><li>Copilot notes, summaries, action items, and insights</li><li>Other Teams meeting intelligence</li></ul></li><li>Meeting data becomes more accurate by ensuring the correct participant is represented.</li><li>Interpreter identity is no longer conflated with the signer they support.</li><li>Sign Language Mode is already available to all users; voice tethering enhances it automatically.</li><li>The feature is <b>on by default </b>when sign language mode and interpreter assignment are used.</li><li>No admin controls are required to enable or manage the feature.</li></ul><p><b>[What you can do to prepare]</b></p><p>No action is required.</p><p>Optional preparation steps:</p><ul><li>Inform D/HH users and interpreters that speech attribution in meetings will change.</li><li>Update internal training or accessibility resources if you document interpreter workflows.</li><li>Notify helpdesk or support teams that captioning and transcript attribution will appear differently for interpreted meetings.</li></ul><p><b>[Compliance considerations]</b></p><p>No compliance considerations identified. Review as appropriate for your organization.</p><p><br></p>

(Updated) Microsoft Teams: Voice tethering

Microsoft Teams will roll out Voice tethering by mid-March 2026, attributing interpreter-spoken content to Deaf or hard-of-hearing participants in captions, transcripts, and meeting insights. This improves accuracy and accountability in meetings with Sign Language Mode, is enabled by default, and requires no admin action.

2026-04-29T16:46:26.783Z

Updated message,New feature,User impact,Admin impact

<p>Updated April 29, 2026: We have updated the timeline. Thank you for your patience.&nbsp;</p><p><b>[Introduction]</b></p><p><b>Voice tethering</b> builds on the recent introduction of <b>Sign Language Mode</b> in <i>Microsoft Teams</i>. When a sign language interpreter voices on behalf of a Deaf or hard‑of‑hearing (D/HH) participant, Teams will now attribute captions, transcripts, and meeting intelligence—such as Copilot notes, summaries, action items, and insights—to the D/HH participant rather than the interpreter. This update ensures accurate representation in meetings, clarifies who is contributing to the conversation, and improves downstream meeting accuracy and accountability.</p><p>This message is associated with Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID <a href="https://www.microsoft.com/microsoft-365/roadmap?filters=&amp;searchterms=553223" target="_blank">553223</a>.</p><p><b>[When this will happen]</b></p><ul><li><b>Targeted Release (Worldwide): </b>We will begin rolling out in <b>mid-March 2026</b> and expect to complete by <b>late March 2026</b>.</li><li><b>General Availability (Worldwide, GCC): </b>We will begin rolling out in <b>mid-May 2026</b> (previously&nbsp;early April)&nbsp;and expect to complete by <b>late May 2026</b> (previously&nbsp;mid-April).</li></ul><p><b>[How this affects your organization]</b></p><p><i>Who is affected</i></p><ul><li>Organizations with meeting participants who are Deaf or hard‑of‑hearing and use sign language interpreters in&nbsp;<i>Teams meetings</i>.</li><li>Any users who participate in meetings with <b>Sign Language Mode enabled</b>.</li></ul><p><i>What will happen</i></p><ul><li>Voice contributions made by interpreters will be attributed to the D/HH participant across:<br><ul><li>Live captions</li><li>Meeting transcripts</li><li>Copilot notes, summaries, action items, and insights</li><li>Other Teams meeting intelligence</li></ul></li><li>Meeting data becomes more accurate by ensuring the correct participant is represented.</li><li>Interpreter identity is no longer conflated with the signer they support.</li><li>Sign Language Mode is already available to all users; voice tethering enhances it automatically.</li><li>The feature is <b>on by default </b>when sign language mode and interpreter assignment are used.</li><li>No admin controls are required to enable or manage the feature.</li></ul><p><b>[What you can do to prepare]</b></p><p>No action is required.</p><p>Optional preparation steps:</p><ul><li>Inform D/HH users and interpreters that speech attribution in meetings will change.</li><li>Update internal training or accessibility resources if you document interpreter workflows.</li><li>Notify helpdesk or support teams that captioning and transcript attribution will appear differently for interpreted meetings.</li></ul><p><b>[Compliance considerations]</b></p><p>No compliance considerations identified. Review as appropriate for your organization.</p><p><br></p>