No customization done by the user, including installation of apps should prevent a user from being able to call 911, period.
Imagine the worse case scenario where malware infects the phone but requires a credit card to call 911.
Maybe congress will get around to this to make Google and everyone else do the right thing, but from my perspective Google should have done the right thing here.
It will take some horribly idiotic event like that to get the manufacturers to actually address that when you sell a phone you're selling hardware and software.
It's hard to see how that wouldn't cause some ugly delays, so yes people will be harmed.
It's not just some bad-app on the play store (though that is one approach I believe google could use).
It's the fact that the android OS is EOL after 3 years, and the user is still using it as his main phone -- and needs 911 services.
I think Google would argue that malware interfering with your phone after its EOL date is a reason why you should upgrade your phone to a newer model rather than use that as a reason to extend the life of their phone software indefinitely.
Without full cooperation from manufacturers, there's really not a lot that can be done outside of blacklisting all dialer apps on the Play store and even that would do little for anything already installed.
The pixel 2 is already EOL'd 4 years after it's release, but it can still make 911 calls. I believe there are people that still depend upon that phone to make phone calls -- and therefore need 911 when they need it.
> Mobile telephones manufactured after February 13, 2000... must incorporate a special procedure for processing 911 calls. Such procedure must recognize when a 911 call is made and, at such time, must override any programming in the mobile unit that determines the handling of a non-911 call...
If a phone can't access 911, it's not legal. Frankly, it's an indictment of the system architects that this bug is possible at all.
Seriously, this sounds like a Teams issues. Google does by default incorporate what is required and it isn't until Teams takes permission from the phone app that an issue even occurs.
I own the phone and I am able to install whatever software and whatever operating system I like. I don't want it to seem like I'm defending Google here, but should manufacturers really be responsible for the software someone installs on their portable computer?
Installing your own OS that intentionally doesn't support 911 handling would be in the "not possible" category just like a user who cut their antenna. For anything less than that, Google (and other manufacturers) are absolutely responsible for ensuring the 911 code path can't be disrupted. People have literally died from this.
And this is an app issue anyway (Microsoft teams).
And if they can't, they should make it clear to the user/owner that their phone isn't supported and that means that their lives or the lives of others could be in jeopardy as a result. In fact, perhaps their phones should have an expiration date and should just stop working after sometime. Or at least disable critical functionality that their required to be in compliance with (FCC regulations) since they've decided to no longer support the device. Moreover, this date and timeline should be clear from the point in time when you purchase the device.
Of course this could all be done by the network providers only allowing supported devices on their network, but we all know how that would end up.
This isn't just some bug, and if google wants to participate and be taken seriously in this industry, they should stand by their products and customers.
1. This is _mainly_ an app issue (Teams). It will be fixed via the store.
2. It affects very few people (installed teams but not logged in).
3. There is already a workaround (just reinstall the app)
4. Google has in past patched even older devices in case of a serious problem or vulnerability.