Do you get irritated with the bad audio of some games when you want to chat with your teammates? Then you are like me. I don’t want to struggle with communication while I’m concentrating on a game; I need clear communication to strategize and consult with my friends.
Since I’ve discovered the TeamSpeak 3 app, everything has changed. I can chat with my teammates as if we are in the same room! I also use TeamSpeak 3 now for audio meetings with my business partners.
If you want to find out more about TeamSpeak 3, read on.
- About TeamSpeak 3
- Main Benefits And Features Of TeamSpeak 3
- Privacy Features
- Requirements And Connecting To Server
- What Users Are Saying
About TeamSpeak 3
TeamSpeak 3 is a voice-over-Internet Protocol (VoIP) application I use for audio communication with other users. Typically we are a group communicating, but I sometimes also use it for one-on-one chats.
To communicate with other users using TeamSpeak 3, I must be connected to a TeamSpeak 3 server. It is not possible to connect to other users directly.
I like TeamSpeak because although I need a TeamSpeak server to communicate, I can use a compatible server of my choice and join other chat channels.
Thus, we communicate via the internet or through private networks, and each person can use a different server or channel. We use various devices, like Android devices, PC, macOS, iOS, or Linux.
The Target User
I use the app to chat with my friends and family and sometimes join group chats, but the app has actually been developed for gamers and is still being used a lot by gamers. When I’m playing a multiplayer video game, I communicate through this app with the other players. As I’m using earphones and a microphone, my hands stay free to handle the game’s controls with both hands.
I’m also running a small business and use TeamSpeak 3 to chat with my partners to discuss work-related matters. The one reason why I’m using this app for conferencing is in principle the same as why gamers are using it - to keep both my hands-free, enabling me to page through documents on my desk during the discussions.
But another reason is that I can now be in conference with people while I’m on the go. The target user is virtually anyone who needs a VoIP connection. There are no age or any other restrictions on who may use the app.
Main Benefits And Features Of TeamSpeak 3
In this section, I will share with you what aspects of the application make me a happy user. Apart from the chatting and conferencing that I’m doing via the app, I’ve arranged audio events like speech contests and debating competitions for my child’s school.
Due to the pandemic and the restrictions that form part of it, it is often impossible to host such events in person. TeamSpeak offers the solution. Another feature is that TeamSpeak is spam free and I can run it on my own private server if I want to.
I usually use public servers and channels for casual chatting with my friends, but I like to use my private server when conferencing with my business partners.
I’ve also found it is possible to use the software-based volume control to boost the microphone volume. With low THD hardware and dual-microphone noise suppression, I can clean up the noise that usually forms part of online chats.
Update Process
I also think the app’s updating procedure is state-of-the-art. It uses an incremental updating system. This means that it only downloads the files that need to be updated between releases.
The result is that I use less bandwidth, and the updates are done very fast. I don’t know whether this has been the developers aim, but the fact that the downloading and installing of the app are totally free and that I save time and money with the unique updating system shows me that the developers want to make it as easy and cost-effective as possible to use TeamSpeak 3.
Privacy Features
According to the documents and comments I’ve seen, TeamSpeak 3 is designed with built-in privacy in mind. The app’s administrators do not have access to my voice or text chat data. I also don’t have to sign-up to use the app.
AES-based encryption can be enabled for extra security. The system puts me in complete control of the app’s hierarchical permission system. I can decide who can talk and who can join channels. Especially when I’m gaming, I appreciate the app’s 360-degree soundscape in which I can hear my teammates.
Another handy feature is that I can easily scale up from a small group conversation to large conferences with thousands of participants with the app’s advanced Client-Server architecture. And as I’m 100% confident of the app’s privacy and security, these TeamSpeak 3 events can be hosted from anywhere.
Other features I can briefly refer to include its synchronized bookmark ability, the push-to-talk (PTT) and voice activation, and ongoing free app updates. The app can also send and receive text messages and can give me player status notifications when I’m gaming.
How To Download The App
I downloaded my TeamSpeak 3 app on my Android phone via the Google Play Store. I opened the Google Play Store on my phone and searched for TeamSpeak 3. Then I proceeded to download and install the application.
I’ve been told it is just as easy to download the app onto your iPhone. Open the Apple App Store by tapping on the App Store icon – a white A – and search for the app. Just click on it to download and install.
Remember, you can download the app to your PC, Mac or Linux Box as well.
Requirements And Connecting To A Server
There are things I’ve had to check and get in place to ensure good voice communication when using my TeamSpeak 3 app. The system requires a clock speed of at least 800 MHz, 128 MB of memory, although 512 is recommended, and 5 MB of hard disk space. My internet connection must have sufficient bandwidth for VoIP.
Before any communication can take place, I need a TeamSpeak server. The server apps are available freely, but I have to pay for the service if I want a private server.
The pricing differs. Non-profit organizations, for instance, get free licenses, while I have to pay a monthly fee because I’m using TeamSpeak for my business purposes as well.
I’ve downloaded the TeamSpeak 3 Client app onto my PC and from Google Play Store for my Android Phone. It is also available from Apple App Store for iPhones. When I now want to use TeamSpeak 3, I connect to TeamSpeak 3 Client and start my communication.
Creating A Server
Apart from the TeamSpeak 3 Client I’m using, I’ve created my own free server on TeamSpeak 3, which I’m using if I do not use a public channel. I went to the search bar in the top left corner of the TeamSpeak 3 window and clicked on the Settings icon.
A Create New Server option appeared on the right at the bottom of the pane. I clicked on it and chose the hosting provider named Self-Hosted.
After I had clicked the Get Started button, I entered a name and password for my server and clicked Create. The app’s system generated the server. Since then, this newly created server’s name has appeared in the servers’ option menu on the left.
What Users Are Saying
One of the Android users describes the app as a very well-made app. He has been using it for years without problems. He says he finds it easy to use, even on mobile devices.
Another Android user says this app is his preferred choice for voice comms, especially since the PC TeamSpeak 3 app allows you to host your own TeamSpeak server.
iPhone Feedback
An iPhone user says the app works perfectly fine on his iPhone 6, iOS 12.4.1. He thinks that some of the things people complain about, like the mic turning off when the phone locks, are absurd.
They have to change their lock settings. Another iPhone owner says what he likes the most is that in times where privacy should be very important to everyone, this is the only viable option.
Conclusion
I’m convinced that TeamSpeak 3 Voice Chat is the best app for secure voice chatting on a smartphone. Two features of the app that convince me that it is highly recommendable are that it is free of spam and can be run on a private server.
Suppose you frequently want to chat with teammates when you are gaming, conduct audio business meetings online, or need a secure connection with individuals and groups. In that case, you have to consider this app.
