Members cannot access the chat during call.

Question

There is a meeting that is being hosted, and some members of the call cannot access the chat. They are getting the error " only available during meeting but meeting still active."

Answer 1

Hello Travis ,

Thank you for posting on the Microsoft Q&A Community.

As described, I understand that some members on the meeting call are encountering a permission issue where the chat feature is not accessible even though the meeting is still live. Here are few steps to try to help resolve the issue.

1. Meeting policy can cause restrictions; the chat feature might be disabled in the meeting policy assigned to those users. I will suggest that ask your Teams administrator to go to Teams Admin Center > Meetings > Meeting policies > Meeting engagement > Meeting chat and set it to: On for everyone Or on for everyone but anonymous users.
2. Guest or Link Based Access Users who joined via a forwarded link or were not added to the original invitation may have limited chat access. Ensure all attendees are added directly to the meeting invite, not just joining via a shared link.
3. Chat Settings in Meeting Options The organizer may have set chat to be available only during the meeting, and some users may not be recognized as “in the meeting.” Ensure to have affected users leave and rejoin the meeting. Also, ensure they’re signed in properly to Teams.
4. Teams Version or Cache Issues Outdated Teams clients or corrupted cache can cause chat visibility issues. Sign out and back into Teams. Clear Teams cache. Ensure Teams is updated to the latest version. If possible, trying a different device (if they're on a laptop, try a mobile device) or switching browsers (if using a web app) to see if the issue persists.

Lastly the meeting organizer can always double check the meeting options before the session starts. Ensure chat is enabled and participants are added properly. If using recurring meetings, make sure attendees are added to the original series.

Kindly refer to this link for more information Chat in Microsoft Teams meetings - Microsoft Support [b56b-e8ea-38e-d82d]

Best Regards,

Odinaka | Microsoft Q&A Community Support