How to keep Teams active on Android and iPhone

Why phones are different from computers

On a computer, Teams watches for keyboard and mouse input. On a phone there is no such counter to reset. Teams shows you as Available while the app is in the foreground and the device is unlocked. When the screen times out, the phone locks, and Teams ends up on Away. The same happens when you switch to another app.

So on mobile the job is not to simulate activity. It is to keep Teams on screen and stop the screen from turning off. For computers, see the guide to keeping your Teams status Available.

Android: what TeamsActivo does

The Android app does one thing: it stops the screen from turning off while it is active. A foreground service, with a permanent notification and a "Detener" (stop) button, places an invisible 1 by 1 pixel window over the screen that tells Android to keep the display on. The window receives no touches and no focus.

• Automatic mode (on by default): with the usage access permission, the app checks every 10 seconds which app is in front and only keeps the screen on when it is Teams. Switch to another app and the screen times out as normal.
• Manual mode: without that permission, the screen stays on for as long as the service is running, whatever app is in front.
• Battery protection: it stops by itself when the battery drops below 15% (adjustable from 5% to 50%, and ignored while charging) and after 4 hours (adjustable from 1 to 12 hours).
• Controls: the main screen of the app, the notification, or a Quick Settings tile.

Android permissions and why they are needed

The app does not use an accessibility service. It does not touch, read or control Teams.

What the Android app cannot do

• It does not simulate activity. Teams has to be open and in the foreground. If you minimise it, open another app or press the power button, Teams behaves as it always does.
• Managed phones. If the phone is managed (MDM, Microsoft Intune, a work profile) with a maximum lock time, or the Teams app has protection policies, the lock or sign-out can still happen.
• Battery and screen. A screen that stays on uses battery, and static content can leave marks on OLED displays. Lower the brightness and keep the time and battery limits.
• Aggressive battery managers. Some manufacturers stop background services or restrict overlays. If the app stops by itself, exclude it from battery optimisation in the phone settings.
• No guarantee. Teams can change how it handles presence in any version.

iPhone and iPad: no app can do it

There is no TeamsActivo for iOS, and there cannot be one. iOS does not let an app keep another app active or simulate touches in it, and an app can only keep the screen on while it is itself in the foreground. The moment you open Teams, that app is in the background and has no effect. Any App Store app that promises otherwise cannot deliver it with the public iOS APIs.

What does work is the same idea as on Android, done with system settings: keep Teams open on screen and stop the iPhone from locking.

Option 1: Auto-Lock set to Never.

1. Open Settings, Display & Brightness, Auto-Lock, and choose Never.
2. Open Teams and leave it on screen, preferably with the iPhone on its charger.
3. When you finish, set Auto-Lock back to a short time. If you forget, the iPhone will never lock by itself.

With Low Power Mode on, iOS forces Auto-Lock to 30 seconds and Never is not available. If the option is greyed out or limited, the iPhone has a management profile that sets a maximum time, and that cannot be bypassed.

Option 2 (recommended): Guided Access. Guided Access pins the iPhone to a single app and has its own auto-lock setting, which only applies while it is running.

1. Open Settings, Accessibility, Guided Access, and switch it on.
2. In Passcode Settings, set a Guided Access passcode you will remember.
3. In Display Auto-Lock, inside Guided Access, choose Never.
4. Open Teams, then triple-click the side button (or the Home button on older models) and tap Start.
5. To leave, triple-click again, enter the passcode and tap End.

An iPhone that does not lock is open to anyone who picks it up. Keep it on the charger with the brightness low, do not leave it unattended, and do not leave it like this overnight.

When a computer is the better answer

A phone left with its screen on for hours is a workaround. If you also have Teams open on a computer, keeping that one active is more comfortable and costs no battery: see the guides for Windows and Mac. One licence covers 3 devices, so the phone and the computer can share it.

Use it on your own devices and within your organisation's policies.

How to set up TeamsActivo on Android

1. Start the trial. Subscribe at teams-active.es. The licence key arrives by email.
2. Install the app. Download the Android APK from the downloads page and open it on the phone. Android asks you to allow installing unknown apps for the app you open it from.
3. Enter the licence key. In the licence section of the app, choose "Introducir clave…" (enter key), paste the key and confirm. The phone needs an internet connection at that moment.
4. Grant the permissions. Allow display over other apps (required), usage access (for automatic mode) and notifications (recommended).
5. Activate it. Tap "Activar" (the app is in Spanish) in the app, or add the TeamsActivo tile to Quick Settings and use that.
6. Open Teams and leave it in front. The notification shows whether the screen is being kept on or the app is waiting for Teams. Stop it with "Detener" from the notification, the tile or the app.