5 ms·

The post said that it is also being addressed in a platform update on Jan 4th..

by derekp7 5y ago

millzlane 5y ago
The workaround is to uninstall teams. I'm not having the issue though.
ok_dad 5y ago
Awesome for people who have pixels that no longer get updates... Like me and my family. Now I have to buy new phones?!
- bb88 5y ago
  That's actually a real issue that needs addressing. Any phone that makes 911 calls should still get security updates. All phones that can reach the cell network can still make 911 calls per FCC requirement. 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.
  - earthscienceman 5y ago
    Worst case scenario? Sounds like best case scenario to me so long as no one is harmed. 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.
    - bb88 5y ago
      Sadly, yes. Though it's already happening, just not in that vile of a situation. Yet.
    - Dylan16807 5y ago
      > Worst case scenario? Sounds like best case scenario to me so long as no one is harmed. It's hard to see how that wouldn't cause some ugly delays, so yes people will be harmed.
  - onion2k 5y ago
    If Google are concerned they could fix it more easily that a software update for older, unsupported phones - they could just mark every app that registers itself as a third party dialer as incompatible with older Pixel devices in the Play Store, and remotely remove them from Pixel phones presumably. It'd be a bit "user hostile" but you have to remember that you don't really control the code on your phone if you use Google services, so it's entirely possible for them to act this way.
    - bb88 5y ago
      Yes, but I think the issue I see is that all exploits that gain root post-EOL could then interfere with dialing, right? 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.
      - onion2k 5y ago
        EOL does mean something. I don't believe 3 years is long enough personally, but even if it was 10 years the same problem would exist, just for older phones. Then it becomes a semantic argument about where phones should ever have an EOL date for critical fixes. 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.
    - CuriousCosmic 5y ago
      The thing I think people are missing is that the response from Google indicates that this isn't a Pixel issue. This is a "all android phones on Android 10+" issue. 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.
      - bb88 5y ago
        I think you miss the point here. Security updates for phones need to be longer than 3 years -- for that reason. 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.
- yjftsjthsd-h 5y ago
  What would you like them to do? Google couldn't retroactively make it possible to patch every phone on the planet even if they wanted to, and the phone manufacturers aren't likely to treat this as any more special than the other bugs that they aren't patching
  - ok_dad 5y ago
    I have a Google pixel 2xl, I guess I assumed people would get that I had a Google phone from the fact that I said I had a pixel...
    - yjftsjthsd-h 5y ago
      Oh, sorry; I missed that and thought we were talking the general case. Yes, if Google is the OS and hardware vendor then they're out of excuses.
  - AlotOfReading 5y ago
    Well, I'd expect them to bring the phones into compliance with the law. Quoting section 22.921: > 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.
    - encryptluks2 5y ago
      So you are advocating to put anyone who has a rooted phone that doesn't get this dumb update to fix an issue with Microsoft Teams in jail? 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.
    - eertami 5y ago
      But what if I as the user install software on my phone that isn't capable of calling 911? 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?
- joenathanone 5y ago
  Those phones are just a little more dangerous to own
- nayaketo 5y ago
  Yeah.
- kevin_thibedeau 5y ago
  Not to worry. That was all solved with project Treble.
- deleted 5y ago
  [deleted]
- zibzab 5y ago
  What are your talking about??? 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.
- r0m4n0 5y ago
  I wouldn’t jump to conclusions before we fully understand what’s happening. Maybe this issue was introduced in the latest version of android (that would be my guess seeing that it was just discovered) thus fixing it in a patch release on that version would fix it for everyone. You with an older pixel have nothing to worry about because you couldn’t update to this version anyhow.
  - deleted 5y ago
    [deleted]
lvs 5y ago
Can you imagine how many millions... perhaps billions of phones will never see this update? Regulators have to take action on this.

The post said that it is also being addressed in a platform update on Jan 4th..

millzlane 5y ago

The workaround is to uninstall teams. I'm not having the issue though.

ok_dad 5y ago

Awesome for people who have pixels that no longer get updates... Like me and my family. Now I have to buy new phones?!

bb88 5y ago
That's actually a real issue that needs addressing. Any phone that makes 911 calls should still get security updates. All phones that can reach the cell network can still make 911 calls per FCC requirement. 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.
- earthscienceman 5y ago
  Worst case scenario? Sounds like best case scenario to me so long as no one is harmed. 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.
  - bb88 5y ago
    Sadly, yes. Though it's already happening, just not in that vile of a situation. Yet.
  - Dylan16807 5y ago
    > Worst case scenario? Sounds like best case scenario to me so long as no one is harmed. It's hard to see how that wouldn't cause some ugly delays, so yes people will be harmed.
- onion2k 5y ago
  If Google are concerned they could fix it more easily that a software update for older, unsupported phones - they could just mark every app that registers itself as a third party dialer as incompatible with older Pixel devices in the Play Store, and remotely remove them from Pixel phones presumably. It'd be a bit "user hostile" but you have to remember that you don't really control the code on your phone if you use Google services, so it's entirely possible for them to act this way.
  - bb88 5y ago
    Yes, but I think the issue I see is that all exploits that gain root post-EOL could then interfere with dialing, right? 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.
    - onion2k 5y ago
      EOL does mean something. I don't believe 3 years is long enough personally, but even if it was 10 years the same problem would exist, just for older phones. Then it becomes a semantic argument about where phones should ever have an EOL date for critical fixes. 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.
  - CuriousCosmic 5y ago
    The thing I think people are missing is that the response from Google indicates that this isn't a Pixel issue. This is a "all android phones on Android 10+" issue. 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.
    - bb88 5y ago
      I think you miss the point here. Security updates for phones need to be longer than 3 years -- for that reason. 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.
yjftsjthsd-h 5y ago
What would you like them to do? Google couldn't retroactively make it possible to patch every phone on the planet even if they wanted to, and the phone manufacturers aren't likely to treat this as any more special than the other bugs that they aren't patching
- ok_dad 5y ago
  I have a Google pixel 2xl, I guess I assumed people would get that I had a Google phone from the fact that I said I had a pixel...
  - yjftsjthsd-h 5y ago
    Oh, sorry; I missed that and thought we were talking the general case. Yes, if Google is the OS and hardware vendor then they're out of excuses.
- AlotOfReading 5y ago
  Well, I'd expect them to bring the phones into compliance with the law. Quoting section 22.921: > 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.
  - encryptluks2 5y ago
    So you are advocating to put anyone who has a rooted phone that doesn't get this dumb update to fix an issue with Microsoft Teams in jail? 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.
  - eertami 5y ago
    But what if I as the user install software on my phone that isn't capable of calling 911? 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?
joenathanone 5y ago
Those phones are just a little more dangerous to own
nayaketo 5y ago
Yeah.
kevin_thibedeau 5y ago
Not to worry. That was all solved with project Treble.
deleted 5y ago
[deleted]
zibzab 5y ago
What are your talking about??? 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.
r0m4n0 5y ago
I wouldn’t jump to conclusions before we fully understand what’s happening. Maybe this issue was introduced in the latest version of android (that would be my guess seeing that it was just discovered) thus fixing it in a patch release on that version would fix it for everyone. You with an older pixel have nothing to worry about because you couldn’t update to this version anyhow.
- deleted 5y ago
  [deleted]

lvs 5y ago

Can you imagine how many millions... perhaps billions of phones will never see this update? Regulators have to take action on this.