In Review: MuteMe Mini

Last year, we told you about the funding project for the MuteMe Mini (you can see that here). The project intrigued me, as I like the idea of a physical button I can hit (or tap, in this case) rather than searching for an icon on-screen to mute or unmute. After spending some time with the device, we’re ready to give you our take on the MuteMe Mini.

I do need to level-set before we get too far into this review. In my own personal situation, I’m using a M1 Mac (running Monterey), and our primary tool for work is Microsoft Teams. The latter is the more critical part, as the integrations for teams are more beta-like (and of course, I’m pushing them to the max).

The tl;dr for the MuteMe Mini – at least in my case – is that it doesn’t actually work. Yes, the color of the device changes when I mute / unmute, and the app shows that status changing. Testing it out in the Teams Echo (for device testing) or even just calling my cellphone and leaving a message? It shows quite clearly that it’s not muting the microphone on my headset, even though it device has gone red. Just to ensure it’s not Teams causing the problem, I checked the sound input settings. And there, I can clearly see the mic picking up input though the MuteMe Mini things it’s muting things.

In short, I find the MuteMe Mini to be a great idea, but it just does not work in my setup. Future releases of the app could help, but it’s only gone from 0.9.2 to 0.9.3 in the month or two I’ve had it, so I’m not super hopeful. So, for now, I’m out the $20 (well, the KS was a touch less I believe) that the MuteMe Mini goes for these days. If your setup is different from mine, well, you may have a better experience. For now, I’d advise Mac owners to not pick one up. muteme.com