Voice mode responses are sometimes not read aloud on insiders.vscode.dev

[meganrogge]

Type of issue

Bug

Description

When using voice mode on insiders.vscode.dev, responses are sometimes not read back aloud. Voice mode has not been deactivated, but the voice-mode buttons sometimes appear as though it is deactivated.

I suspect the readback failure is caused by an incorrect context key: the underlying voice-mode state remains active, while the context key used by the buttons/readback behavior indicates that voice mode is inactive.

Steps to reproduce

1. Open insiders.vscode.dev.
2. Activate voice mode.
3. Continue interacting with chat by voice without deactivating voice mode.
4. Observe that, intermittently, a response is not read aloud.
5. Check the voice-mode buttons; they can appear in the deactivated state even though voice mode was never deactivated.

Expected behavior

Responses are consistently read aloud while voice mode remains active, and the voice-mode buttons accurately reflect the active state.

Actual behavior

Some responses are not read aloud, and the buttons can indicate that voice mode is inactive even though it has not been deactivated.

Environment

• Product: VS Code Insiders for Web
• URL: insiders.vscode.dev
• Feature: Voice mode
• Frequency: Intermittent

[meganrogge]

Additional reproduction detail: this has specifically been observed when using insiders.vscode.dev on a phone. It is not yet known whether desktop browsers are affected. Mobile browser audio lifecycle/autoplay restrictions may be relevant.