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Teams Phones Major Updates: Chicken or Egg?

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John Miller

Cloud Solutions Architect

Introduction

This year, Microsoft will be making two (2) major changes to Teams Native phones:

So where does the chicken and the egg fit into this? Native Teams Phones must be running Android 12 to be managed in Intune with AOSP. Teams administrators need to get ready to update their phones to Android 12 before the switchover to AOSP in Intune. Later this year we will publish a follow-up article on configuring Intune and AOSP to support these updated phones, and as events warrant, we will publish updates as we get them from the Native Teams Phones manufacturers.

Firmware Updates Current State as of May 8, 2024

AudioCodes

  • The certification is for version 2.1.87 which is based on Android 12. This version of the firmware is not currently available. The certification for the phones is valid until October 4, 2026.
  • Available versions:
    • 19.705: released on February 19, 2024: This is the current firmware version available for all the AudioCodes Teams phones.
  • AudioCodes issued Product Notice #0506 on July 26, 2023. There were several important points in this document:
    • Software Version 2.1 will be made available for all models on September 30, 2023… this did not happen!
    • To upgrade the phones to version 2.1, they need to have been previously upgraded to version 1.19.516 or later.
    • AudioCodes strongly recommends that all native Teams devices be upgraded to version 1.19.516 or later.
    • The notice only applies to these models:
      • TEAMS-C455HD
      • TEAMS-C455HD-DBW
      • TEAMS-C470HD
      • TEAMS-C470HD-DBW
      • TEAMS-C435HD-R
  • In the “Certified Teams Phones” section towards the top of the web page you will notice that the AudioCodes C448HD and C450HD phones are not listed. These phones cannot be upgraded to Android 12. More on this below.

Crestron

  • None of their phones are currently certified.
  • Available versions:
    • 1.0.6.20 released on April 20, 2023.

HP | Poly

  • The certification for many Poly CCX and Trio devices is good through October 31, 2024. The web page indicates that these phones run on Android 9.
  • Available versions:
    • 1.6.1006: This was released for the CCXs on April 12, 2024.
    • 1.6.1005: This was released for the Trio C60 on the same date.
  • On April 17, 2024, HP | Poly announced the availability of Poly Voice Software (PVOS) 9.0 “in about a month” for the Poly CCX phones and the Poly Trio C60 Conference Phone. They are expecting to have these phones certified by Microsoft with PVOS 9.0 before the firmware is released.

Yealink

  • The MP54, 56, and 58 are certified through October 4, 2026, running version 122.15.0.135.
  • The CP965 is certified through the same date running 143.15.0.48.
  • The MP52 is not in the list. This suggests that this model cannot be upgraded to Android 12. Please check with Yealink if you have any of these phones.
  • Available versions:
    • 15.0.83: for the MP52 released on January 18,2024. This version appears to run under the Android 9 operating system.
    • 15.0.136: for the VP50 released on the same date.
    • 15.0.142: for the MP54, 56 and 58 released on October 9, 2023. This version appears to be based on the Android 12.

What Do You Need to Do As of Now?

AudioCodes

  • Follow the provided guidance and get your C435s, C455s and C470s upgraded to at least version 1.19.516 as soon as possible!
  • The C448s and C450s cannot be upgraded to Android 12. AudioCodes has provided a method for converting these phones to function through the Teams SIP Gateway. A One Voice Operations Center (OVOC) server is the only current way to convert these phones. We will provide updates on this when provided by AudioCodes.

Crestron

  • Contact Crestron or your reseller about their plans regarding running firmware based on Android 12 on these devices.
  • eGroup Enabling Technologies was not able to find any information about this from Crestron.

HP | Poly

  • PVOS 9.0 should be available some time after May 17, 2024.
  • We will provide updates when available from HP | Poly.

Yealink

  • If you haven’t already done so, upgrade your MP54s, MP56s, and MP58s to a minimum firmware version of 122.15.0.142.
  • You should do this as soon as you can!

Management Platform Conversion from Android Device Administrator to AOSP

  • Stay tuned! As soon as we get the information and try it out, we’ll post our guidance.

Summary

There are some significant changes happening this year for Native Teams Phones—updating them to run under the Android 12 operating system and replacing the Android Management platform in Microsoft Intune. The availability of the updates and guidance from the manufacturers varies. Organizations should follow the guidance and upgrade their phones before Microsoft starts to deprecate the Android Device Administrator platform at the end of August 2024.

Stay tuned to the eGroup Enabling Technologies news page for updates. Our experts are ready to answer any questions that you might have about Microsoft Teams, Teams Voice, and Teams Devices. If you need help with implementing or migrating to Microsoft Teams or Teams Voice or upgrading your devices, please contact us at info@eGroup-us.com or complete the form below. 

Need Assistance with These Updates?

Contact our team today to get help with any of the changes mentioned above!

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