Teams Rooms on Android now shows chat by default in meetings
Microsoft updated Teams Rooms on Android systems so the chat panel appears automatically when users join a meeting in gallery view. The change rolled out during the week of May 14 2026. This applies only to Android-based room systems. Participants no longer need to open chat manually to see messages sent during the meeting. The update addresses a common complaint in hybrid meetings where remote attendees type questions or comments that in-room participants miss.
Before this update, chat remained hidden unless someone deliberately opened it, which kept side conversations out of the main flow for many teams. Meeting participants could focus on the speaker without constant text appearing on screen. Now the chat panel loads by default on Android room systems, which means every message lands in view whether relevant or not. Teams that already struggle with notification overload now face an additional stream of text competing for attention during meetings that were already fragmented.
Analysis
Treat this as another distraction layer, not a convenience. Go into your room system settings this week and disable the default chat panel, then set a team norm that chat stays closed unless someone needs to flag a technical issue.
Citation
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