Teams Status on Multiple Devices: The Last Device You Used Wins

When you are signed in to Microsoft Teams on more than one device, your status comes from the device you used most recently. Microsoft's presence documentation gives the example directly: if you are working on your computer, your presence comes from the computer; "when they disconnect on the computer, their presence then comes from the status of the mobile device." A status you pick by hand, such as Busy or Appear offline, is different: it belongs to your account and shows on every device. The Teams app code we read on 26 October 2026 shows the same split: each signed-in app reports active or idle for itself, and a status you pick is sent once for the whole account.

That one rule explains most surprises. Checking a message on your phone makes the phone the latest device, and the phone app shows Away as soon as it goes back to the background. Slack uses a different rule, where any active device keeps you green; see Slack active on multiple devices.

How each device reports your status

Each device works out a status on its own. Teams then shows the one from the device you touched last.

The computer rules count input anywhere on the computer, not only in Teams. The phone rule is strict: any time the Teams app is not on screen, the phone reports Away. The minutes and exceptions are in how long before Teams shows you as Away.

What the Teams app code shows

To check how devices report, we read the presence code in the Teams web client that teams.microsoft.com served on 26 October 2026. It downloads without a sign-in. This script finds that code and prints the calls it makes:

import re, urllib.request
UA = {"User-Agent": "Mozilla/5.0 Chrome/140.0"}
CDN = "https://teams.public.onecdn.static.microsoft/teams-modular-packages/hashed-assets/"
get = lambda u: urllib.request.urlopen(urllib.request.Request(u, headers=UA), timeout=90).read().decode()
html = get("https://teams.microsoft.com/v2/")  # no sign-in needed
runtime = get(CDN + re.search(r"hashed-assets/(runtime-\w+\.js)", html).group(1))
cid = re.search(r'(\d+):"presence-service"', runtime).group(1)
code = get(CDN + "presence-service-" + re.search(cid + r':"(\w{16})"', runtime).group(1) + ".js")
for name, path in re.findall(r'(endpoints|forceAvailability|reportMyActivity):"(v1/me/[^"]*)"', code):
    print(f"{name:17} {path}")
print("activity report body:", re.search(r"JSON\.stringify\((\{endpointId:\w,isActive:\w\})\)", code).group(1))
print("device types:", re.findall(r'"(Web)":"(Desktop)"', code))
print("statuses one device can publish:", re.search(r"const V=(\[\[.*?\]\])", code).group(1))

What it printed:

endpoints         v1/me/endpoints/
forceAvailability v1/me/forceavailability/
reportMyActivity  v1/me/reportmyactivity/
activity report body: {endpointId:e,isActive:t}
device types: [('Web', 'Desktop')]
statuses one device can publish: [["Available","Available"],["Busy","InACall"],["Busy","InAConferenceCall"],["DoNotDisturb","Presenting"],["Away","Away"]]

Each Teams app registers itself as its own endpoint (v1/me/endpoints/), tagged Web or Desktop, and then reports isActive for that endpoint alone. A single device can only publish Available, Busy in a call, Do not disturb while presenting, or Away. A status you choose goes to a different address, v1/me/forceavailability/, with no endpoint in it, which is why Busy or Appear offline shows on every device. Teams' presence service combines the endpoint reports into the one dot coworkers see. The phone app is not part of this web code, so the phone rules in the table above come from Microsoft's documentation.

Common setups and what coworkers see

The second row is the one people notice. You are back at your desk reading, the phone is face down, and Teams shows yellow. One key press or mouse move on the computer makes it the latest device again and you turn green.

Teams logged in on two computers

The same rule applies to two computers, such as a work laptop and a home desktop. The one with the most recent input sets your status. A second computer left on and unlocked does not keep you green: after a few idle minutes it reports Away, and when it sleeps it reports Offline. Two computers only matter when you switch between them, and then the one you just used decides.

Why coworkers see Away at night instead of Offline

If Teams stays signed in on your phone, the phone reports Away while the app is in the background, and Microsoft says it becomes Offline only after 24 hours of inactivity. So people see a yellow dot in the evening, not grey. To show Offline, sign out of Teams on the phone, or pick Appear offline, which lasts until you change it. The steps are in how to appear offline on Teams.

Notifications and calls on several devices

• • Calls ring on every device where you are signed in. Answer on any of them.
• • Messages notify every device by default. To stop your phone from buzzing while you work at the computer, open Teams on the phone, tap your profile picture, Notifications, and under Block notifications turn on When active on other devices. Older versions call it When active on desktop. Microsoft's mobile notifications page describes it.
• • Quiet hours on the phone mute it at set times without changing your status; see Teams quiet hours.

How to keep one device from showing you Away

• • Touch the computer after using your phone. It becomes the latest device again.
• • Leave the phone app on screen if the phone is your only device for a while, such as on a train. The details are in does Teams stay green on mobile.
• • Sign out on the phone at the end of the day if you want to show Offline, not Away.
• • Set a status by hand when you step away on purpose. Busy and Do not disturb last one day without a duration, Appear offline lasts until you change it, and the rest last seven days.

If your status stays yellow while you work at the computer, the cause is usually not a second device; see Teams status stuck on Away.

Teams vs Slack on multiple devices

Because Slack uses "any device", one active device is enough to keep you green in Slack. In Teams, the last device you touched decides, so a phone you just put down can turn you Away.

FAQ

Which device sets my Teams status? The one you used most recently. A status you set by hand shows on every device.

Why does Teams show me Away after I check my phone? The phone became your most recent device, and the phone app reports Away when it goes to the background. Touch your computer and you turn green.

Why do I show Away instead of Offline at night? Teams on your phone reports Away while it is in the background, for up to 24 hours. Sign out on the phone or choose Appear offline.

What happens if I am logged in to Teams on two computers? The computer with the latest input sets your status. An idle second computer reports Away, and a sleeping one reports Offline.

Do I get Teams notifications on all devices? Yes, by default. On the phone, turn on Block notifications When active on other devices to stop duplicates.

Does Teams on my phone keep me green? Only with the app open on screen. In the background it reports Away.