A bug in the Teams app prevents Android smartphones from calling 911. Microsoft has fixed the issue, Google will release a fix as well.
Errors are a common occurrence in our electronic devices and their consequences can vary. Some of them are completely superficial, such as display errors, etc., others can be disastrous, even to the point that they interfere with the full functioning of the device in question. The bug that interests us today concerns Microsoft Application Teams and a bug that could be disastrous. Explanation.
Teams app bug prevents Android smartphones from calling emergency services
If you have the Microsoft Teams app installed on your Android phone, it would be best to update it as soon as possible. Indeed, according to former XDA editor Mishal Rahman, the Redmond-based company just fixed a bug in Teams that prevented Android 10 or later from calling 911, America’s emergency number. Reddit user KitchenPicture5849 discovered that with the Teams app installed on a smartphone but not signed in, the operating system is unable to call 911. The phone recognizes the call as active and rings once, but the connection is never established. fully installed and there is nothing in the call history.
Microsoft has fixed the problem, Google will also publish a fix
Mischaal Rahman and his friend Kub Wojciechowski managed to determine the cause of the problem. While all Android calling apps try to instantiate the PhoneAccount class in the operating system, Teams will create instances whenever the user cold launches the app, increasing the chances of seeing calls get dropped.
Google contacted the said Reddit user and revealed that the two tech giants have planned a fix. In addition to the patch already published by Microsoft, Mountain View will offer an Android update on January 4th that will, among other things, fix this bug. You can uninstall and reinstall Teams anyway to get rid of the extra PhoneAccount instances, so you don’t have to guess when you stay signed in.
Google also explained that only a “small number of devices”were affected by this bug. On the other hand, the seriousness of said error remains the real issue. Indeed, it could have prevented someone from making a phone call, which could have saved one or more lives. I hope this doesn’t happen.. .