--- title: "Microsoft Teams Shared Device / Common Area Phone Configuration" slug: "microsoft-teams-shared-device-common-area-phone-configuration" tags: ["calltower", "public"] updated: 2026-07-27T14:09:54Z published: 2026-07-27T14:09:54Z canonical: "learn.calltower.com/microsoft-teams-shared-device-common-area-phone-configuration" stale: true --- > ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://learn.calltower.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Microsoft Teams Shared Device / Common Area Phone Configuration This article provides guidance for configuring Microsoft Teams **Shared Device phones** (also known as **Common Area Phones**) in accordance with Microsoft-recommended authentication and deployment best practices. It is intended for lobby phones, warehouse phones, breakroom phones, and other shared spaces where a device is not assigned to an individual user. This guidance is based on Microsoft Learn documentation and reflects current platform behavior and limitations. #### What Is a Shared Device (Common Area) Phone? A **Shared Device Phone** is a Microsoft Teams–certified phone placed in a shared space and signed in using a dedicated account that is not tied to a specific user. These devices are designed for **walk-up calling scenarios** and do not provide a full user experience such as calendars or personal chat history. Common area phones: - Are signed in with a **User Account** - Use the **Microsoft Teams Shared Devices** license - Support inbound and outbound calling - Do **not** support calendar visibility or one‑touch meeting join by design Microsoft recommends common area phones for shared environments such as lobbies, warehouses, reception desks, and hallways. **Supported Licensing** Each common area phone requires: - **Microsoft Teams Shared Devices** license - Includes Teams Phone functionality - Does not require an additional Teams Phone Standard license > [!NOTE] > Note: > > The Shared Devices license is the modern replacement for the legacy "Common Area Phone" license name. If calendar visibility or one‑touch meeting join is required, Microsoft recommends using a **Teams Rooms system** with a Teams Rooms license instead, or a full user license. #### Authentication & Security Best Practices Microsoft explicitly differentiates **shared device authentication** from **personal user authentication**. Applying personal-user security controls to shared devices frequently results in sign‑in failures. **Key Recommendations** - **Use a dedicated Account** for each phone - **Manually set a strong password** for the account - **Exclude shared device accounts from password expiration policies** - **Exclude shared device accounts from interactive MFA requirements** - **Avoid applying personal-device Conditional Access policies** to shared devices Shared devices cannot complete MFA challenges and do not have a user available to reset expired passwords, which can leave devices signed out and unusable until manually recovered by an administrator. Microsoft recommends grouping all Teams phone resource accounts into a dedicated Entra ID group to simplify Conditional Access exclusions. **Deployment Overview** Microsoft defines the following high‑level deployment process for common area phones: 1. Purchase Teams Shared Devices licenses 2. Create a user account for each device 3. Assign the Teams Shared Devices license 4. Configure Teams IP Phone policies 5. Assign a phone number 6. Sign in on the physical device Each of these steps is summarized below. --- **Step 1: Create the Resource Account** Create a new account in Microsoft 365 for each common area phone. Microsoft guidance: - Create the account as a standard user object - Use a descriptive name such as `Main Lobby Phone` or `Warehouse Phone` - **Manually set the password** - Do **not** require password change at first sign‑in Manually setting the password prevents unexpected sign‑out events and aligns with shared-device authentication requirements. --- **Step 2: Assign Licensing** Assign the following license to the resource account: - **Microsoft Teams Shared Devices** When this license is assigned: - Teams Phone functionality is included - No additional Phone System license is required Calling Plans or Operator Connect services may still be required depending on how PSTN service is provided. --- **Step 3: Configure Teams IP Phone Policy** Common area phones should use a **Common Area Phone sign‑in mode** to limit functionality and prevent personal-user features. Microsoft supports configuring this behavior using the **Teams IP Phone Policy**, which controls: - Sign‑in mode - Directory access - Home screen access - Hot desking behavior This policy ensures the phone presents a simplified interface appropriate for shared use. --- **Step 4: Assign Phone Numbers** After licensing and policy assignment: - Assign a phone number to the resource account - The number may be provided CallTower Operator Connect, or CallTower Direct Routing Once assigned, the phone will be able to place and receive PSTN calls. --- **Step 5: Sign In on the Device** On the physical Teams phone: 1. Power on the device 2. Select **Sign in** 3. Enter the resource account credentials 4. Complete initial device provisioning After sign‑in, the phone will display the common area phone interface. --- --- **Known Limitations (Working as Designed)** The following behaviors are **expected and by design** when using the Teams Shared Devices license: - No calendar or meeting list - No one‑touch meeting join - No personal chat history - No personal Teams app experience These limitations are intentional and are not defects. Organizations requiring meeting room experiences should deploy **Teams Rooms devices** instead. --- **Troubleshooting Sign‑In Issues** Most sign‑in failures on common area phones are caused by: - Password expiration - MFA enforcement - Conditional Access policies applied to shared accounts Review Conditional Access exclusions and password policies first when troubleshooting authentication issues. --- **References** - [Authentication best practices for Teams phones (Microsoft Learn)](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoftteams/phones/authentication-best-practices-phones) - [Set up common area phones for Microsoft Teams (Microsoft Learn)](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoftteams/phones/set-up-common-area-phones) These articles define Microsoft’s supported model and should be referenced for the latest platform updates. A service allowing customers to choose their telecom provider for making and receiving calls in Microsoft Teams. Public Switched Telephone Network, the traditional circuit-switched telephone network used for voice communication.