diff --git a/src/main.ts b/src/main.ts
index 5e896c6c..5a5f159f 100644
--- a/src/main.ts
+++ b/src/main.ts
@@ -23,6 +23,7 @@ import WebSocket from 'ws';
 import type { FetchRequest, FetchResponse } from './types';
 import * as telemetry from './telemetry';
 import * as smtc from './smtc';
+import { isMicInUse } from './mic-in-use';
 
 // Ensure the renderer's Media Session API (used to surface "now playing" to
 // Windows System Media Transport Controls / macOS Now Playing) is wired up.
@@ -49,7 +50,7 @@ smtc.init((action) => {
       wsSend({ namespace: 'playback', groupId, command: 'play' }, { allowTvPauseRestore: true, deviceFeedback: 'NONE' }).catch(() => {});
       break;
     case 'pause':
-      wsSend({ namespace: 'playback', groupId, command: 'pause' }, { allowTvPauseRestore: true, deviceFeedback: 'NONE' }).catch(() => {});
+      void handleSmtcPause();
       break;
     case 'next':
       wsSend({ namespace: 'playback', groupId, command: 'skipToNextTrack' }, {}).catch(() => {});
@@ -60,6 +61,39 @@ smtc.init((action) => {
   }
 }, { displayName: 'True Tunes', appPath: app.getAppPath(), isPackaged: app.isPackaged });
 
+/** How long after an SMTC pause we keep watching for a call starting. */
+const CALL_PAUSE_GRACE_MS = 4000;
+const CALL_PAUSE_POLL_MS = 500;
+
+/**
+ * Teams (and other call apps) pause every SMTC media session when you join a
+ * call. That's right for local audio, but here it would pause the office
+ * speakers for everyone. The pause event doesn't say who sent it, so we use
+ * "another app has the mic open" as the call signal: if it already is, the
+ * pause is ignored; if it opens within a few seconds of us pausing, we resume.
+ */
+async function handleSmtcPause(): Promise<void> {
+  if (await isMicInUse()) {
+    console.log('[smtc] ignoring pause: microphone in use (call in progress)');
+    telemetry.event('SmtcPauseIgnored', { reason: 'mic-in-use' });
+    return;
+  }
+  const sendPlayback = (command: 'play' | 'pause') => {
+    if (!ws || ws.readyState !== WebSocket.OPEN) return;
+    wsSend({ namespace: 'playback', groupId: config.groupId, command }, { allowTvPauseRestore: true, deviceFeedback: 'NONE' }).catch(() => {});
+  };
+  sendPlayback('pause');
+  for (let waited = 0; waited < CALL_PAUSE_GRACE_MS; waited += CALL_PAUSE_POLL_MS) {
+    await new Promise((r) => setTimeout(r, CALL_PAUSE_POLL_MS));
+    if (await isMicInUse()) {
+      console.log('[smtc] call started right after pause, resuming playback');
+      telemetry.event('SmtcPauseIgnored', { reason: 'mic-opened-after' });
+      sendPlayback('play');
+      return;
+    }
+  }
+}
+
 // ─── Config ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
 
 /** Music service credentials (persisted to userData/config.json) plus
diff --git a/src/mic-in-use.test.ts b/src/mic-in-use.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..91011b06
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/mic-in-use.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,45 @@
+// Run: npm run test:main
+import test from 'node:test';
+import assert from 'node:assert/strict';
+import { parseMicUsage } from './mic-in-use.ts';
+
+const ROOT = 'HKEY_CURRENT_USER\\Software\\Microsoft\\Windows\\CurrentVersion\\CapabilityAccessManager\\ConsentStore\\microphone';
+
+const SAMPLE = [
+  ROOT,
+  '    Value    REG_SZ    Allow',
+  '',
+  `${ROOT}\\Microsoft.Copilot_8wekyb3d8bbwe`,
+  '    Value    REG_SZ    Prompt',
+  '    LastSetTime    REG_QWORD    0x1db9a44d9072d01',
+  '',
+  `${ROOT}\\MSTeams_8wekyb3d8bbwe`,
+  '    Value    REG_SZ    Allow',
+  '    LastUsedTimeStart    REG_QWORD    0x1dd3ac0038f1caf',
+  '    LastUsedTimeStop    REG_QWORD    0x0',
+  '',
+  `${ROOT}\\NonPackaged`,
+  '',
+  `${ROOT}\\NonPackaged\\C:#Program Files#Discord#Discord.exe`,
+  '    LastUsedTimeStart    REG_QWORD    0x1dd3ac0038f1caf',
+  '    LastUsedTimeStop    REG_QWORD    0x1dd3ac0038f2000',
+  '',
+].join('\r\n');
+
+test('reports apps with an open mic (start set, stop zero)', () => {
+  assert.deepEqual(parseMicUsage(SAMPLE), [`${ROOT}\\MSTeams_8wekyb3d8bbwe`]);
+});
+
+test('finished sessions and never-used apps are not in use', () => {
+  const idle = SAMPLE.replace('LastUsedTimeStop    REG_QWORD    0x0', 'LastUsedTimeStop    REG_QWORD    0x1dd3ac0038f2000');
+  assert.deepEqual(parseMicUsage(idle), []);
+});
+
+test('in-use entry as the last key in the output is still reported', () => {
+  const out = `${ROOT}\\NonPackaged\\C:#zoom.exe\r\n    LastUsedTimeStart    REG_QWORD    0x1\r\n    LastUsedTimeStop    REG_QWORD    0x0`;
+  assert.deepEqual(parseMicUsage(out), [`${ROOT}\\NonPackaged\\C:#zoom.exe`]);
+});
+
+test('empty output', () => {
+  assert.deepEqual(parseMicUsage(''), []);
+});
diff --git a/src/mic-in-use.ts b/src/mic-in-use.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..62280c23
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/mic-in-use.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,52 @@
+// Windows-only "is another app using the microphone right now?" check, used to
+// tell a call app's automatic SMTC pause (Teams pauses every media session
+// when you join a call) apart from a deliberate media-key / flyout pause.
+//
+// Windows records per-app microphone usage under the CapabilityAccessManager
+// consent store (the same data behind the taskbar's "app is using your
+// microphone" indicator). An app is currently using the mic when its key has
+// a non-zero LastUsedTimeStart and LastUsedTimeStop == 0. Packaged apps (e.g.
+// new Teams, MSTeams_8wekyb3d8bbwe) are direct subkeys; Win32 apps live under
+// NonPackaged. Complete no-op (always false) off Windows or if `reg` fails.
+
+import { execFile } from 'child_process';
+
+const MIC_KEY = 'HKCU\\Software\\Microsoft\\Windows\\CurrentVersion\\CapabilityAccessManager\\ConsentStore\\microphone';
+
+/** Parse `reg query <MIC_KEY> /s` output into the list of keys currently using the mic. */
+export function parseMicUsage(output: string): string[] {
+  const active: string[] = [];
+  let key: string | null = null;
+  let start = 0n;
+  let stop: bigint | null = null;
+  const flush = () => {
+    if (key && start !== 0n && stop === 0n) active.push(key);
+  };
+  for (const raw of output.split(/\r?\n/)) {
+    const line = raw.trim();
+    if (line.startsWith('HKEY_')) {
+      flush();
+      key = line;
+      start = 0n;
+      stop = null;
+      continue;
+    }
+    const m = /^(LastUsedTimeStart|LastUsedTimeStop)\s+REG_QWORD\s+(0x[0-9a-fA-F]+)$/.exec(line);
+    if (!m) continue;
+    if (m[1] === 'LastUsedTimeStart') start = BigInt(m[2]);
+    else stop = BigInt(m[2]);
+  }
+  flush();
+  return active;
+}
+
+/** Resolves true if any app currently has the microphone open. Never rejects. */
+export function isMicInUse(): Promise<boolean> {
+  if (process.platform !== 'win32') return Promise.resolve(false);
+  return new Promise((resolve) => {
+    execFile('reg', ['query', MIC_KEY, '/s'], { windowsHide: true, timeout: 2000 }, (err, stdout) => {
+      if (err) return resolve(false);
+      resolve(parseMicUsage(stdout).length > 0);
+    });
+  });
+}