A Pixel 3 user last week noticed an error that prevented them from calling 911. Google has now confirmed that the problem appears to be caused by the Microsoft Teams app. On the basis of an internal investigation into the matter, the Android manufacturer said the problem is believed to occur on a small number of devices that have Microsoft Teams installed, but an account is not signed into the application.
Google Pixel Community support team has written in response User reports on Reddit and said they determined the inability to call the 911 helpline was caused by an unintended interaction between Microsoft Team application and basic Android operating system.
Company note that it is only aware of one user report regarding the bug, although it may affect several other users as well. The problem may not be limited to Pixel phones either because Google assumes it will affect users running Android 10 and up versions.
“As this issue affects emergency calling, both Google and Microsoft are making it a priority to address this issue, and we expect the Microsoft Teams app update to roll out soon – as always, we do. I suggest users monitor app updates to ensure they are running the latest version,” the company said.
Google has promised to deliver an update to the Android ecosystem on January 4th and is expected to come with a fix. Meanwhile, It offers an alternative where users on Android 10 or later with Microsoft Teams installed but not signed in must reinstall the app. The company said it will resolve the issue in the interim.
It said: “We recommend that users monitor the update for the Microsoft Teams app and ensure that it is applied as soon as it becomes available.
It is important that users who are not running Android 10 or later or who are signed in to the Microsoft Teams app are not affected by the issue. There are also some users who seem to be running a recent version of Android and have installed Microsoft Teams without signing in but Unaffected by problem.
That said, it’s interesting to see that Google inadvertently allowed a third-party app to influence the system to a degree that would restrict users from making calls to an emergency number. Some users have raise this point in response to Google’s answer. However, the company has yet to address them.
