Google is pushing Android users to upgrade Microsoft Teams for their own safety

In early December we reported on an interaction between Microsoft Teams and Android which could see some Android phones being unable to make 911 emergency calls.

At the time Google said:

We determined that the issue was being caused by unintended interaction between the Microsoft Teams app and the underlying Android operating system. Because this issue impacts emergency calling, both Google and Microsoft are heavily prioritizing the issue, and we expect a Microsoft Teams app update to be rolled out soon.

Microsoft was at pains to make it clear that it was an Android rather than Teams issue, but was in any case releasing an update to their Android app which would avoid triggering the issue, with Microsoft saying:

“We are aware of Google’s plans to roll-out an Android platform update in January. We are working on an update to our own application to avoid triggering the underlying Android operating system issue. We are collaborating closely with Google to resolve this unintended interaction.”

That updated version of Microsoft Teams was released soon after, but it seems many people have not installed it yet, as Google is sending an automated letter to Android users who have not installed the update yet.

The letter reads:

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. 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.

For more information on this issue, please refer to this Help Center Article.

If you have updated the Microsoft Teams app after December 10, 2021, you can ignore this email.

If you are still knocking around with an older version of Microsoft Teams for Android, you can find the latest version in the Google Play Store here.

[appbox googleplay com.microsoft.teams]

via 9to5Google