Unexpected Automatic Activation of Real-Time Text (RTT) in Microsoft Teams

Question

Dear Microsoft Teams Support,

I am writing to report an issue related to the Real-Time Text (RTT) feature in Microsoft Teams.

During meetings, RTT is being enabled automatically without any manual action from participants. Additionally, there is currently no visible option available to disable this feature from the meeting controls or settings.

As RTT is an accessibility feature, it is understood that it may be required in specific cases. However, it should ideally remain optional and user-controlled. In the current situation, it is being activated for all participants by default, which is unexpected and may indicate a configuration issue or unintended behavior.

I request you to kindly:

Investigate why RTT is being auto-enabled in meetings

Confirm whether this is expected behavior or a bug

Provide guidance on how to disable or control RTT at the user or admin level

This issue is impacting the overall meeting experience, and your assistance in resolving it would be greatly appreciated.

Looking forward to your response.

Best regards, [Moderator note: personal info removed]

Answer 1

Please note that our forum is a public platform, and we will modify your question to hide your personal information in the description. Kindly ensure that you hide any personal or organizational information the next time you post an error or other details to protect personal data.  

Hi @Ravi Kumar UGO25507714 

Thank you for providing a detailed description and for sharing your feedback. 

Based on my own testing in my environment and additional research, Real‑Time Text does not enable automatically by default. It requires user interaction, specifically selecting Turn on RTT for this call, in order to become active. 

 

That said, to further investigate the behavior where RTT appears to enable automatically, I recommend reaching out to the Microsoft Support Team for more advanced and targeted troubleshooting within your environment. As this is a user‑to‑user forum, the primary focus here is on sharing insights and experiences rather than performing direct investigations at the tenant level. 

You may contact the Microsoft Support Team through the following options: 

1/ Contact Microsoft Support via Phone  

You can find the appropriate customer service phone numbers here: Customer service phone numbers - Microsoft Support  

Please note: An AI system may initially handle your call. Kindly follow the prompts carefully to be connected to a human support agent.  

2/ Ask your organization’s admin to raise a ticket  

Your Global Admin can submit a support request through the Microsoft 365 Admin Center.   For step-by-step guidance, please refer to: Get support - Microsoft 365 admin | Microsoft Learn  

 

Regarding RTT configuration at the end‑user level, you can review the steps to access and disable RTT using the following resources: 

 

References: 

• Use Real-time text (RTT) in Microsoft Teams - Microsoft Support 
• Real-Time Text (RTT) In Microsoft Teams - Microsoft Support 

 

From the administrator side, RTT behavior can be managed by configuring the Teams Calling Policy and Teams Meeting Policy that apply to the affected user in the Microsoft Teams Admin Center. 

Alternatively, this can be managed using PowerShell with the following commands: 

Set-CsTeamsCallingPolicy -Identity <policy name> -RealTimeText Disabled 
Set-CsTeamsMeetingPolicy -Identity <policy name> -RealTimeText Disabled 

 

Reference: Manage real-time text (RTT) in Teams for users in your organization - Microsoft Teams | Microsoft L… 

 

Regarding your feedback, you may also consider submitting it through Ideas · Community. This is the official channel for submitting suggestions, and it ensures that your feedback reaches Microsoft’s development team, where it can help shape future updates and improve the overall experience. 

 

I hope this provides helpful insight. Please feel free to reach out if you have any updates. 

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Answer 2

Dear Microsoft Teams Team,

I would like to share feedback regarding the Real-Time Text (RTT) feature in Microsoft Teams.

While RTT is an important accessibility feature, its current behavior is causing confusion among users. When RTT is enabled by a single participant or through accessibility settings, it automatically turns on for all participants in the meeting without clear indication of who enabled it or why.

This creates the impression that the feature is being activated automatically or due to a system issue, especially since there is no visible option to disable it during the meeting.

To improve usability and reduce confusion, I would like to suggest the following enhancements:

Show a clear indicator of which participant enabled RTT

Provide an option to disable RTT during the meeting, at least for organizers

Add a confirmation prompt before enabling RTT (e.g., “This will enable RTT for all participants”)

Provide better in-app guidance or tooltip explaining why RTT is active

Allow RTT to be user-specific (optional visibility) instead of forcing it for all participants

These improvements would help balance accessibility needs with user experience and prevent misunderstandings during meetings.

Thank you for your continuous efforts in improving Microsoft Teams. I hope this feedback will be considered for future updates.

Best regards, [Moderator note: personal info removed]

Answer 3

RTT behavior in Teams is controlled at both the meeting level and the admin policy level.

Key points about current behavior:

1. When RTT is turned on in a meeting, it is on for everyone
   • RTT is a shared meeting feature. Once enabled, it is enabled for all participants in that meeting.
   • It cannot be turned off again during that same meeting; participants must leave and rejoin the meeting to reset it.
   • This is expected behavior per the current design of RTT in Teams.
2. How RTT is turned on from the client
   • During a meeting or call, RTT is enabled from the meeting controls:
     1. Select More actions.
     2. Select Language and speech > Enable RTT.
     3. Select Turn on.
   • A participant may be enabling RTT (intentionally or accidentally), which then affects everyone.
   • In 1:1 calls and meetings, RTT appears in the same pane as live captions.
3. How RTT can be “auto-on” for a user
   • A user can configure RTT to be on by default for all their meetings and calls:
     1. In a meeting, select More actions.
     2. Select Settings > Accessibility.
     3. Turn on the RTT toggle.
   • If this setting is enabled, RTT will automatically turn on for that user’s meetings and calls. Because RTT is a shared feature, this can make it appear as if RTT is auto-enabled for everyone.
4. Admin-level control of RTT
   • As an admin, RTT can be allowed or blocked for users in the organization. Admin controls are provided under the “Real-Time-Text (RTT)” setting for Teams meetings and group calls.
   • If RTT is disabled via policy, users will not be able to use RTT in Teams meetings and group calls.
   • This is the primary way to centrally control whether RTT is available at all.
5. How to troubleshoot the “auto-enabled” behavior
   • Confirm whether any meeting organizer or participant has:
     • Turned on RTT during the meeting via More actions → Language and speech → Enable RTT, or
     • Enabled the RTT toggle under Settings → Accessibility so that RTT is on by default.
   • If the organization does not want RTT used at all, configure the Teams admin policy to disable RTT for meetings and group calls.
   • If RTT should remain available but not auto-on, instruct users to:
     • Turn off the RTT toggle under Settings → Accessibility so it does not start automatically.
6. Whether this is a bug or expected
   • The following are expected behaviors:
     • RTT, once enabled in a meeting, applies to all participants.
     • RTT cannot be turned off again during that meeting; participants must leave and rejoin to reset it.
     • Users can configure RTT to be on by default for their meetings and calls.
   • If RTT appears enabled even when:
     • No participant has turned it on in the meeting,
     • No user has the RTT accessibility toggle enabled by default, and
     • Admin policy is configured to block RTT, then this would be unexpected and should be escalated via a formal support ticket with Microsoft, including meeting IDs and tenant details.
7. Summary guidance
   • To stop RTT from auto-appearing:
     • Check and disable the RTT toggle under Settings → Accessibility for affected users.
     • Ensure no one is enabling RTT via More actions → Language and speech → Enable RTT during meetings.
     • If necessary, use Teams admin controls to disable RTT for meetings and group calls across the organization.

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References:

• Real-Time Text (RTT) In Microsoft Teams
• Manage Real-Time Text (RTT) in Teams for users in your organization
• Overview- Recording and transcription for Teams meetings, events, and calls