Android Phones Have 'Potential Glitch' In 911 Connection: Police

YAPHANK, NY — There's a glitch impacting Android phone users nationwide that can cause issues connecting to 911, Suffolk police said.

The connection issue affects a small number of Android devices that have the Microsoft Teams app installed, although users are not logged in, according to police. It involves the dialing end of the call, not the receiving end, and is "caused by an unintended interaction between the app and the phone’s operating system," police said.

The way it works is that when someone tries to call 911, the phone will then ring once and sound as if the line is busy or that the call is going unanswered, and the call will not show up in outgoing call logs, police said. Google has indicated a fix to the Android's operating system is on the way for Jan. 4, according to police.

In the meantime, police officials suggest Android users can fix the issue by taking these steps:

• Check if the device is running Android 10 or above, as only the users on Android 10 or later versions are potentially impacted.
• If Microsoft Teams is downloaded, check to see if you are signed in, as only those who have the app downloaded, but not signed in are impacted.
• If you are signed in to Teams, stay signed and update the app to the latest version.
• If you are not signed in, uninstall and then reinstall the app, using the latest version of Teams.