diff --git a/ui/src/features/cameras/components/CameraPreviewPanel.test.tsx b/ui/src/features/cameras/components/CameraPreviewPanel.test.tsx
index a5905916..0d8fef4c 100644
--- a/ui/src/features/cameras/components/CameraPreviewPanel.test.tsx
+++ b/ui/src/features/cameras/components/CameraPreviewPanel.test.tsx
@@ -515,7 +515,7 @@ describe('CameraPreviewPanel', () => {
       },
     })
     render(<CameraPreviewPanel cameraName="front" />)
-    screen.getByRole('button', { name: 'Release to stop' }).focus()
+    screen.getByRole('button', { name: 'Talking' }).focus()
     await user.keyboard('[Space>]')
     await user.keyboard('[/Space]')
 
@@ -572,7 +572,8 @@ describe('CameraPreviewPanel', () => {
       const video = container.querySelector('video')
       expect(video?.muted).toBe(true)
       expect(video?.getAttribute('muted')).toBe('')
-      expect(screen.getByText('TALKING')).toBeTruthy()
+      expect(screen.getByRole('button', { name: 'Talking' })).toBeTruthy()
+      expect(screen.getByText('Talking. Release to stop.')).toBeTruthy()
     })
   })
 
@@ -599,7 +600,10 @@ describe('CameraPreviewPanel', () => {
     // When: Rendering the preview controls
     render(<CameraPreviewPanel cameraName="front" />)
 
-    // Then: The talk control shows codec-specific diagnostics instead of generic copy
+    // Then: The talk control keeps user-facing copy simple and hides codec diagnostics by default
+    expect(screen.getByRole('button', { name: 'Talk unavailable' })).toBeTruthy()
+    expect(screen.getByText('Talk unavailable on this camera.')).toBeTruthy()
+    expect(screen.getByText('Technical talk details')).toBeTruthy()
     expect(screen.getByText(
       'Camera talkback codec is not supported. Offered: OPUS/48000. Supported: PCMU/8000, PCMA/8000.',
     )).toBeTruthy()
@@ -628,7 +632,10 @@ describe('CameraPreviewPanel', () => {
     // When: Rendering the preview controls
     render(<CameraPreviewPanel cameraName="front" />)
 
-    // Then: The talk control shows the probe failure message
+    // Then: The talk control keeps probe failure details under technical disclosure
+    expect(screen.getByRole('button', { name: 'Talk unavailable' })).toBeTruthy()
+    expect(screen.getByText('Talk unavailable on this camera.')).toBeTruthy()
+    expect(screen.getByText('Technical talk details')).toBeTruthy()
     expect(screen.getByText(
       'Talkback capability check failed: RTSP authentication was rejected by the camera',
     )).toBeTruthy()
@@ -659,10 +666,32 @@ describe('CameraPreviewPanel', () => {
     // When: Rendering the preview controls
     render(<CameraPreviewPanel cameraName="front" />)
 
-    // Then: The talk control shows the operator-actionable config message
+    // Then: The talk control keeps backend config details under technical disclosure
+    expect(screen.getByRole('button', { name: 'Talk unavailable' })).toBeTruthy()
+    expect(screen.getByText('Talk unavailable on this camera.')).toBeTruthy()
+    expect(screen.getByText('Technical talk details')).toBeTruthy()
     expect(screen.getByText(
       "Talk backend 'onvif_rtsp_backchannel' config is invalid",
     )).toBeTruthy()
   })
 
+  it('shows a clear blocked-microphone state', () => {
+    // Given: Browser microphone permission was denied
+    const blockedError = Object.assign(new Error('Permission denied'), {
+      name: 'NotAllowedError',
+    })
+    mockReadyPreviewSession()
+    mockIdlePushToTalk({ canStart: false, error: blockedError })
+
+    // When: Rendering the preview controls
+    render(<CameraPreviewPanel cameraName="front" />)
+
+    // Then: The talk control explains the browser permission state in homeowner terms
+    expect(screen.getByRole('button', { name: 'Microphone blocked' })).toBeTruthy()
+    expect(screen.getByText(
+      'Microphone blocked. Allow microphone access in your browser and try again.',
+    )).toBeTruthy()
+    expect(screen.getByRole('button', { name: 'Microphone blocked' }).hasAttribute('disabled')).toBe(true)
+  })
+
 })
diff --git a/ui/src/features/cameras/components/PushToTalkControl.tsx b/ui/src/features/cameras/components/PushToTalkControl.tsx
index 1da827af..53b97141 100644
--- a/ui/src/features/cameras/components/PushToTalkControl.tsx
+++ b/ui/src/features/cameras/components/PushToTalkControl.tsx
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ import { isAPIError } from '../../../api/client'
 import type { TalkStatusResponse } from '../../../api/generated/types'
 import { Button } from '../../../components/ui/Button'
 import { StatusBadge } from '../../../components/ui/StatusBadge'
+import { TechnicalDetailsDisclosure } from '../../../components/ui/TechnicalDetailsDisclosure'
 import { describeUnknownError } from '../../shared/errorPresentation'
 import { usePushToTalk } from '../hooks/usePushToTalk'
 
@@ -11,62 +12,62 @@ interface PushToTalkControlProps {
   cameraName: string
 }
 
-function talkTone(state: string | undefined): 'healthy' | 'degraded' | 'unhealthy' | 'unknown' {
+type TalkUiState = 'idle' | 'connecting' | 'talking' | 'microphone_blocked' | 'unavailable' | 'stopping'
+
+function talkTone(state: TalkUiState): 'healthy' | 'degraded' | 'unhealthy' | 'unknown' {
   switch (state) {
-    case 'active':
+    case 'talking':
       return 'healthy'
-    case 'starting':
+    case 'connecting':
     case 'stopping':
-    case 'temporarily_unavailable':
       return 'degraded'
-    case 'disabled':
-    case 'unsupported':
-    case 'error':
+    case 'microphone_blocked':
+    case 'unavailable':
       return 'unhealthy'
     default:
       return 'unknown'
   }
 }
 
-function talkLabel(state: string | undefined): string {
+function talkLabel(state: TalkUiState): string {
   switch (state) {
-    case 'active':
-      return 'TALKING'
-    case 'starting':
-      return 'CONNECTING'
+    case 'talking':
+      return 'Talking'
+    case 'connecting':
+      return 'Connecting'
     case 'stopping':
-      return 'STOPPING'
-    case 'disabled':
-      return 'DISABLED'
-    case 'unsupported':
-      return 'UNSUPPORTED'
-    case 'temporarily_unavailable':
-      return 'BUSY'
-    case 'error':
-      return 'ERROR'
+      return 'Stopping'
+    case 'microphone_blocked':
+      return 'Microphone blocked'
+    case 'unavailable':
+      return 'Talk unavailable'
     default:
-      return 'IDLE'
+      return 'Hold to talk'
   }
 }
 
-function buttonLabel(isStarting: boolean, isStreaming: boolean, isStopping: boolean): string {
-  if (isStopping) {
-    return 'Stopping...'
-  }
-  if (isStarting) {
-    return 'Connecting...'
-  }
-  if (isStreaming) {
-    return 'Release to stop'
+function buttonLabel(state: TalkUiState): string {
+  switch (state) {
+    case 'connecting':
+      return 'Connecting...'
+    case 'talking':
+      return 'Talking'
+    case 'microphone_blocked':
+      return 'Microphone blocked'
+    case 'unavailable':
+      return 'Talk unavailable'
+    case 'stopping':
+      return 'Stopping...'
+    default:
+      return 'Hold to talk'
   }
-  return 'Hold to talk'
 }
 
 function codecList(codecs: string[] | undefined): string {
   return codecs && codecs.length > 0 ? codecs.join(', ') : 'none'
 }
 
-function capabilityMessage(status: TalkStatusResponse | null): string | null {
+function technicalCapabilityMessage(status: TalkStatusResponse | null): string | null {
   if (!status) {
     return null
   }
@@ -89,27 +90,125 @@ function capabilityMessage(status: TalkStatusResponse | null): string | null {
   }
 }
 
-function blockedMessage(status: TalkStatusResponse | null, state: string | undefined): string | null {
-  const capability = capabilityMessage(status)
-  if (capability) {
-    return capability
+function isMicrophoneBlocked(error: unknown): boolean {
+  if (!error || typeof error !== 'object') {
+    return false
+  }
+  const name = 'name' in error && typeof error.name === 'string' ? error.name : ''
+  const message = 'message' in error && typeof error.message === 'string' ? error.message : ''
+  return (
+    name === 'NotAllowedError'
+    || name === 'PermissionDeniedError'
+    || name === 'SecurityError'
+    || /permission denied|notallowed|not allowed/i.test(message)
+  )
+}
+
+function isTalkUnavailable(status: TalkStatusResponse | null, state: string | undefined): boolean {
+  if (!status) {
+    return false
+  }
+  if (
+    status.capability === 'disabled'
+    || status.capability === 'unsupported'
+    || status.capability === 'unsupported_codec'
+    || status.capability === 'config_error'
+    || status.capability === 'error'
+  ) {
+    return true
+  }
+  return state === 'disabled' || state === 'unsupported' || state === 'error'
+}
+
+function uiState({
+  error,
+  isStarting,
+  isStopping,
+  isStreaming,
+  status,
+  state,
+}: {
+  error: unknown
+  isStarting: boolean
+  isStopping: boolean
+  isStreaming: boolean
+  status: TalkStatusResponse | null
+  state: string | undefined
+}): TalkUiState {
+  if (isMicrophoneBlocked(error)) {
+    return 'microphone_blocked'
+  }
+  if (isStreaming) {
+    return 'talking'
+  }
+  if (isStarting || state === 'starting') {
+    return 'connecting'
+  }
+  if (isStopping || state === 'stopping') {
+    return 'stopping'
+  }
+  if (isTalkUnavailable(status, state) || state === 'temporarily_unavailable' || state === 'active') {
+    return 'unavailable'
+  }
+  return 'idle'
+}
+
+function userMessage({
+  error,
+  isPending,
+  status,
+  state,
+  talkState,
+}: {
+  error: unknown
+  isPending: boolean
+  status: TalkStatusResponse | null
+  state: string | undefined
+  talkState: TalkUiState
+}): string | null {
+  if (talkState === 'microphone_blocked') {
+    return 'Microphone blocked. Allow microphone access in your browser and try again.'
+  }
+  if (error) {
+    if (isAPIError(error) && error.errorCode === 'TALK_SESSION_ALREADY_ACTIVE') {
+      return 'Another talk session is already active.'
+    }
+    return describeUnknownError(error)
+  }
+  if (isPending) {
+    return 'Checking talk availability...'
+  }
+  if (talkState === 'talking') {
+    return null
   }
   switch (state) {
-    case 'disabled':
-      return 'Push-to-talk is disabled for this camera.'
-    case 'unsupported':
-      return 'This camera source does not support talkback.'
     case 'temporarily_unavailable':
-      return 'Talkback is temporarily unavailable. Try again in a moment.'
+      return 'Talk is busy. Try again in a moment.'
     case 'active':
       return 'Another talk session is already active.'
-    case 'error':
-      return status?.last_error ?? 'Talkback is in an error state.'
     default:
-      return null
+      return isTalkUnavailable(status, state) ? 'Talk unavailable on this camera.' : null
   }
 }
 
+function technicalDetails(status: TalkStatusResponse | null, error: unknown): string[] {
+  const details: string[] = []
+  const capability = technicalCapabilityMessage(status)
+  if (capability) {
+    details.push(capability)
+  }
+  if (status?.backend_reason) {
+    details.push(`Backend detail: ${status.backend_reason}`)
+  }
+  if (status?.selected_codec) {
+    details.push(`Selected codec: ${status.selected_codec}`)
+  }
+  if (error && !isMicrophoneBlocked(error)) {
+    details.push(`Last error: ${describeUnknownError(error)}`)
+  }
+  return [...new Set(details)]
+}
+
 export function PushToTalkControl({ cameraName }: PushToTalkControlProps) {
   const {
     canStart,
@@ -128,18 +227,12 @@ export function PushToTalkControl({ cameraName }: PushToTalkControlProps) {
   const pointerHeldRef = useRef(false)
   const disabled = !canStart && !isStarting && !isStreaming
   const state = isStreaming ? 'active' : (status?.state ?? session?.state)
-  const message = (() => {
-    if (error) {
-      if (isAPIError(error) && error.errorCode === 'TALK_SESSION_ALREADY_ACTIVE') {
-        return 'Another talk session is already active.'
-      }
-      return describeUnknownError(error)
-    }
-    if (isPending) {
-      return 'Checking talkback capability...'
-    }
-    return blockedMessage(status, state)
-  })()
+  const talkState = uiState({ error, isStarting, isStopping, isStreaming, status, state })
+  const message = userMessage({ error, isPending, status, state, talkState })
+  const details = technicalDetails(status, error)
+  const talkButtonClassName = talkState === 'talking'
+    ? 'push-to-talk__button push-to-talk__button--active'
+    : 'push-to-talk__button'
 
   const beginTalk = (): void => {
     if (!canStart) {
@@ -157,16 +250,19 @@ export function PushToTalkControl({ cameraName }: PushToTalkControlProps) {
       <header className="push-to-talk__header">
         <div>
           <p className="camera-preview__title">Push to talk</p>
-          <p className="camera-preview__subtitle">Hold the mic button to stream browser audio to the camera speaker.</p>
+          <p className="camera-preview__subtitle">Hold the button to speak through this camera.</p>
         </div>
-        <StatusBadge tone={talkTone(state)}>{talkLabel(state)}</StatusBadge>
+        <StatusBadge tone={talkTone(talkState)}>{talkLabel(talkState)}</StatusBadge>
       </header>
 
       {message ? <p className="camera-preview__message">{message}</p> : null}
+      {talkState === 'talking' ? (
+        <p className="push-to-talk__hint">Talking. Release to stop.</p>
+      ) : null}
 
-      <div className="inline-form__actions">
+      <div className="inline-form__actions push-to-talk__actions">
         <Button
-          className={isStreaming ? 'push-to-talk__button push-to-talk__button--active' : 'push-to-talk__button'}
+          className={talkButtonClassName}
           aria-pressed={isStarting || isStreaming}
           disabled={disabled}
           onPointerDown={(event) => {
@@ -218,7 +314,7 @@ export function PushToTalkControl({ cameraName }: PushToTalkControlProps) {
             endTalk()
           }}
         >
-          {buttonLabel(isStarting, isStreaming, isStopping)}
+          {buttonLabel(talkState)}
         </Button>
         <Button
           variant="ghost"
@@ -230,6 +326,16 @@ export function PushToTalkControl({ cameraName }: PushToTalkControlProps) {
           Refresh talk
         </Button>
       </div>
+
+      {details.length > 0 ? (
+        <TechnicalDetailsDisclosure summary="Technical talk details">
+          <ul className="technical-details__list">
+            {details.map((detail) => (
+              <li key={detail}>{detail}</li>
+            ))}
+          </ul>
+        </TechnicalDetailsDisclosure>
+      ) : null}
     </section>
   )
 }
diff --git a/ui/src/styles/global.css b/ui/src/styles/global.css
index 1b7cd893..b971205e 100644
--- a/ui/src/styles/global.css
+++ b/ui/src/styles/global.css
@@ -990,11 +990,11 @@ a:hover {
 
 .push-to-talk {
   display: grid;
-  gap: var(--space-2);
+  gap: var(--space-3);
   border: 1px solid var(--line);
   border-radius: var(--radius-sm);
   background: color-mix(in srgb, var(--surface-1) 58%, transparent);
-  padding: 0.65rem 0.7rem;
+  padding: var(--space-3);
 }
 
 .push-to-talk__header {
@@ -1004,8 +1004,22 @@ a:hover {
   gap: var(--space-2);
 }
 
+.push-to-talk__hint {
+  margin: 0;
+  color: var(--danger);
+  font-weight: 650;
+}
+
+.push-to-talk__actions {
+  align-items: stretch;
+}
+
 .push-to-talk__button {
-  min-width: 9.5rem;
+  min-height: 3.75rem;
+  min-width: min(100%, 12rem);
+  padding-inline: var(--space-4);
+  font-size: 1rem;
+  font-weight: 750;
   touch-action: none;
   user-select: none;
 }
@@ -1020,6 +1034,17 @@ a:hover {
   background: color-mix(in srgb, var(--danger) 84%, #000);
 }
 
+.technical-details__list {
+  margin: 0;
+  padding-left: 1.1rem;
+  color: var(--text-secondary);
+  font-size: 0.85rem;
+}
+
+.technical-details__list li + li {
+  margin-top: 0.35rem;
+}
+
 .camera-config-editor {
   display: grid;
   gap: var(--space-2);