MC1540349 - Microsoft Teams: Decline incoming mobile calls with a message
Microsoft 365 Message Center announcement MC1540349.
MS Message Center's Summary
Microsoft Teams will soon allow mobile users to decline incoming calls and send a predefined or custom message through chat simultaneously. The rollout is scheduled to start in early December 2026 and complete by mid December 2026 for worldwide and government tenants. Administrators should review internal support materials and inform users about the new messaging option on the incoming call screen, though no direct configuration is needed.
- Administrator impact
- No direct administrator action is required.
- End user impact
- Mobile users can now send quick text replies when declining incoming Teams to Teams calls.
- Importance
- 2/10: This is a standard feature release that improves user convenience without requiring administrative configuration or causing service disruption.
Microsoft Summary
Microsoft Teams mobile users will soon be able to decline incoming calls with a predefined or custom message sent via Teams chat. This feature, rolling out worldwide in December 2026, enhances communication without answering calls. It applies only to Teams-to-Teams calls with available chat and requires no admin action.
- Message Center ID
- MC1540349
- Category
- stay Informed
- Severity
- normal
- Services
- Microsoft Teams
- Tags
- New feature, User impact, Admin impact
- Roadmap ID
- 577176
- Platforms
- Android, iOS
- Published
- 2026-11-05
- Last updated
- 2026-11-05
- Expires
- 2027-01-11
[What and why] Microsoft Teams mobile users will be able to decline an incoming Teams call and send a message to the caller at the same time. This gives users a faster way to communicate their availability without answering the call or separately navigating to chat. From the incoming call screen, users can select Message and choose a predefined response or select Custom to compose a personalized response in the relevant Teams chat. [Rollout schedule] General Availability (Worldwide, GCC, GCC High, DoD): We will begin rolling out in early December 2026 and expect to complete by mid-December 2026 . [Impact on your organization] Who is affected Microsoft Teams mobile users who receive eligible Teams-to-Teams calls and have an associated Teams chat available for the response Platforms and services Microsoft Teams mobile What will happen Once this feature is available: Users will see a new Message option on the incoming call screen. Users can choose a predefined response, such as “Can I call you later?” , “I’m on my way.” , or “Sorry, I can’t talk right now.” Selecting a predefined response will decline the call and immediately send the selected message to the caller in Teams chat. Users can select Custom to decline the call and open the relevant Teams chat to compose a personalized response. The response will appear in Teams chat so users can continue the conversation after the call is declined. This capability will not apply to PSTN, anonymous, or interoperability calls where there is no corresponding Teams chat to receive the message. Existing options to accept or decline an incoming call will not change. The feature will become available automatically as it rolls out to eligible users. iOS experience Screenshot 1 - IOS view 1: Screenshot 2 - IOS view 2: Screenshot 3 - IOS view 3: Android experience Screenshot 4 - Android view 1: Screenshot 5 - Android view 2: Screenshot 6 - Android view 3: [Action required and recommendations] No admin action is required before rollout. We recommend informing your help desk and users about the new Message option, particularly users who frequently handle Teams calls from their mobile devices. [Compliance considerations] This change provides a new way for users to communicate by allowing a user declining an eligible Teams call to send a predefined or custom message to the caller through Teams chat. Review this change as appropriate for your organization.