Home › Guides › Teams Phone
Teams-Certified Headsets and Desk Phones for a Small Office
Once Teams is your phone system, the hardware matters more than people expect. A cheap headset or a laptop's built-in microphone causes plenty of "they can't hear me" complaints, and desk phones sold as "Teams compatible" aren't all the same. Here's what Microsoft's certification means, how to choose headsets and desk phones for a small office, and what licenses shared phones need.
What "Certified for Microsoft Teams" means
Microsoft says its Teams Device Certification Program tests devices on audio and video quality, user interface, device management, and security. Only devices that pass every requirement get the "Certified for Microsoft Teams" designation (Teams certified devices overview). My advice: buy certified, and check the certification on Microsoft's lists rather than trusting the box.
Headsets and speakerphones
- What certification gets you: Microsoft says certified personal peripherals work plug-and-play with no extra configuration, and support call control in Teams (Certified personal peripherals).
- Bluetooth: Microsoft says most certified Bluetooth headsets are designed to use a USB dongle with PCs and Macs. "Native Bluetooth" certified models can pair directly, but that's supported on Windows PCs only (macOS may follow). Microsoft notes some users may still need the dongle, for example in offices crowded with radio signals.
- How I'd choose: for people on the phone all day, a wired or dongle-based headset with a boom microphone. For hybrid staff, a certified Bluetooth headset with its dongle. For a small meeting room, a certified speakerphone.
Headset makers include HP Poly and Jabra. Check that the model you pick is on Microsoft's certified list.
Desk phones
- Certified Teams phones run Teams natively. Microsoft says it works with Yealink, Crestron, Polycom, and AudioCodes on a range of certified desk phones and conference phones (Phones for Microsoft Teams).
- Check the certification end date. Microsoft says Teams phones run Android, and their certification end dates depend on the Android version the device ran when it entered certification (Certified Teams phones). Before you buy, check that the model's certification won't expire soon after.
- Management: Microsoft says you manage phones from the Teams admin center, need to be a Global admin, Teams Service admin, or Teams Device admin to do it, and can deploy Teams phones with Intune (Phones for Microsoft Teams). If you already use Intune, see the Intune setup guide.
Desk phone makers include Yealink and HP Poly.
Shared phones (lobby, warehouse, break room)
- License: a shared phone signs in with its own account and a Teams Shared Space license. Microsoft says that license was called Teams Shared Devices before April 2026 (Teams Shared Space licensing).
- Features: Microsoft says accounts with a shared-device license get a more limited set of features than a person signed in with their own account. For example, call history and meeting schedules may not be kept, to protect privacy (Phones for Microsoft Teams).
- Don't use Teams Rooms Basic: Microsoft says Teams Rooms Basic licenses aren't supported on Teams phones, and an account with one is blocked from signing in.
- Setup: Microsoft's common area phone steps start with buying the license and a certified phone, then creating a dedicated common area phone resource account for the device and assigning the license (Set up common area phones).
A buying checklist
- On Microsoft's certified list? (peripherals, phones)
- For desk phones: when does certification end?
- Wired, dongle, or native Bluetooth, and does that suit Windows or Mac?
- For shared phones: did you budget the Teams Shared Space license? (See Teams Phone licensing.)
- Buy one, have your noisiest-office person use it for a week, then order the rest.
If a certified headset still sounds bad, the cause is usually the network: see Teams call quality basics.
More in the Teams Phone series: Calling Plan vs Operator Connect vs Direct Routing · Teams Phone licensing with Business Premium or E3 · Auto attendant and call queue setup · Port your business number to Teams · Teams call quality basics. Choosing a Microsoft 365 plan first? See Business Premium vs E3.
Sources
- Overview of Teams certified devices (Microsoft Learn)
- Certified personal peripherals for Teams (Microsoft Learn)
- Phones for Microsoft Teams (Microsoft Learn)
- Certified Teams phones (Microsoft Learn)
- Microsoft Teams Shared Space licensing (Microsoft Learn)
- Set up common area phones (Microsoft Learn)
Vendor pages: HP Poly · Jabra · Yealink. These are ordinary links, not affiliate links. I haven't tested specific models for this guide.