Windows 11 is getting a ‘Voice Clarity’ feature; here’s what this means

How many times have you found yourself feeling confused because you can’t seem to decipher what your online meeting is about? Sure, paying attention is one thing, but more often than not, it is the background noise that contributes to the poor-quality output of your video conferences.

But Microsoft plans to change this by bringing in its AI-powered Voice Clarity feature to Windows 11 PCs. The addition, which was earlier only exclusive to Surface devices, is built to improve the definition of your voice. Here’s everything you need to know about the feature.

What is the Voice Clarity feature by Microsoft?

Microsoft introduced its Voice Clarity feature in 2022 for its Surface Laptop Studio but eventually rolled it out for all its Surface devices. While most laptops today come with a built-in noise reduction technology, Voice Clarity was known for its improved effectiveness and the Communications Signal Processing Mode, which was compatible with several apps and games. In fact, Microsoft even mentions how Phone Link and WhatsApp as two notable apps that support this mode.

Typically, Microsoft Voice Clarity tunes out the reverb, echo, and any background noise to give you a cleaner, more audible output on online calls and video conferences. This, in return, improves your meeting experience and doesn’t leave you reaching for the volume button to hear better.

How does the Voice Clarity feature work?

The low-complexity AI model will process locally and will have little to no effect on the battery or storage functions of your device. According to Microsoft, apps will also come with a toggle button to disable the Deep Noise Suppression effect. Doing so can help bring in more background noise into your audio stream — if and when required.

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Voice Clarity will be especially helpful for times when a speaker is far away from the microphone or if the microphone in question seems to be giving out feedback. Users will be able to make the most of this addition within several apps and PC games, and the latest Canary build will bring immediate access to photos and screenshots from connected Android devices.

When will this feature be available?

Although Microsoft is reportedly testing this out for Windows 11 devices, there is still no saying if it will be available to all PCs. However, the company, in its blog post, mentioned how it plans to include it in a stable Windows 11 release later this year. Until then, extended support for the feature will currently be available for users with Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26040.