The communication platform was found blocking emergency calls due to a bug
Microsoft Teams was found blocking emergency calls on Android accidentally, with both Microsoft and Google scrambling to find a remedy for the security loophole that made this possible. A full fix for the underlying problem is coming to Android with the January update, but as we all know, it can take quite a while until it rolls out to all phones. That’s why Google is sending out emails to users now, urging them to update their Microsoft Teams app in the meantime.
While most people have probably activated automatic updates on their Android phones, a few users might have deactivated them or simply not have enough free space left on their smartphones for updates to be downloaded. These are the only people Google is contacting via email, according to a tweet shared by Mishaal Rahman. It’s likely that your phone has long automatically updated to the version of Teams that fixes the bug, especially if you haven’t received an email from Google like this.
Google is cautiously explaining that the bug only may cause the issue, as you need a specific set of pre-existing conditions to make Teams block your emergency calls. Nevertheless, given the potential fatality of the bug, it’s good that Google is reaching out to users proactively and telling them to update their Teams app. In case anyone has received the email in error, Google writes that the email is moot if one has already updated the app after December 10, 2021.
If you haven’t long updated Teams following the mishap, it’s about time. Be sure to head to the Play Store and see if an update button shows up for you on the Microsoft Teams listing, waiting to be tapped.
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