GOOGLE has sent android users an essential warning about the Microsoft Teams app.
A bug was discovered in the android version of the Microsoft Teams app last month which could block calls made to emergency numbers.
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Initially, it was thought only calls made to the US emergency number, 911, were being blocked but now Google has revealed calls to other emergency numbers such as 999 in the UK and 112 in Europe may also be affected.
Although a full fix is coming to android phones in the January 2022 update, Google has issued an email to all users urging them to update their Microsoft Teams app.
Mishaal Rahman, the former editor-in-chief of XDA Developers, highlighted the email in a Twitter message: “Wow – Google is now emailing users telling them to update the Microsoft Teams app if they have a version that has the potential to trigger the emergency calling bug in Android.”
Only certain Microsoft Teams users are still at risk, with those who have updated the app after December 10, 2021, safe from the bug.
The email sent out by Google said: “Hello, you may have a version of the Microsoft Teams app installed on an Android device that may unintentionally prevent emergency calling (e.g. 911, 999, 112, etc. depending on your region) when you are not logged into the app.
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“The issue is caused by an unintended interaction between the Microsoft Teams app and the underlying Android operating system. Please visit the Google Play Store and update to the latest version of Microsoft Teams immediately.”
The message added: “If you have updated the Microsoft Teams app after December 10, 2021, you can ignore this email.”
The most recent version of Microsoft Teams for Android was released on December 18, with the build 1416/1.0.0.2021195305.
To update the app, head to the Play Store and if an update button is showing on the Microsoft Teams app listing then click on it.
Many users may have already activated automatic updates on their devices and so will already have the latest patch installed.
The dangerous bug won’t affect all users as certain pre-existing conditions have to be met for the glitch to kick in.
The bug problem was first highlighted on Reddit, with one user detailing how their Pixel phone prevented them from calling an ambulance for their grandmother when she appeared to have a stroke.
When the Reddit user dialled 911 their phone got stuck after it had run once.
Fortunately, the user was able to get to a landline when the emergency happened so they were still able to call for an ambulance.
The Reddit user wrote: “I had to call an ambulance for the grandmother on Friday as she appeared to be having a stroke. I got off a phone call with my mom, and proceeded to dial 911 just by typing and calling on my Pixel.
“My phone got stuck immediately after one ring and I was unable to do anything other than click through apps with an emergency phone call running in the background. This is all while the phone informed me that it had sent my location to emergency services.
“Sadly I couldn’t tell the person on the other end what apartment I was in, or what the actual emergency was as I was unable to speak to a human.
“As my phone had clearly just been working from a phone call perspective, my best guess is the extra step of trying to send my location caused it to freeze. It then prevented me from hanging up and trying to call any phone number again.
“Luckily my grandmother is of the generation that still has a land line, otherwise I would have had to restart my phone, wait for a reboot, and then attempt to call emergency services so they could get people over ASAP.”
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