When choosing your Microsoft Teams Rooms on Android, Teams Panels and Teams Phones, one important consideration is the Android OS version it is running.
But it’s an appliance, I hear you say. Why would you care what version of Android it is running on?
In this blog, I will dig into Android Microsoft Teams Rooms and Devices and why the Android version it is running is important.
Thanks to AudioCodes, one of Empowering.Cloud’s benefactors for sponsoring this blog and supporting the Empowering.Cloud community.
AudioCodes RVX81 Microsoft Teams Room and Audiocodes RX-Panel were some of the first Microsoft Teams Rooms on Android to be certified with Android 12. AudioCodes latest Teams phones now all run Android 12.
While not all Android OS features are leveraged by Microsoft Teams Rooms, Android 12 focused heavily on privacy and security enhancements with file system protection. Android 12 also improved system performance. AudioCodes saw a 22% reduction in the CPU time used by core system services and a 15% reduction in the use of big cores.
You can check out the AudioCodes range of Teams Devices here.
It’s Android, but it’s not Android
Microsoft Teams Rooms come in two versions, Windows and Android. Feature-wise, they are similar, but there are differences. Microsoft keeps a Microsoft Teams Rooms on Windows and Microsoft Teams Rooms on Android feature comparison list on docs, it is evolving regularly with new features being added to both platforms. Teams Phones and Teams Panels all run on Android. This blog specifically considers all Teams Android devices.
Microsoft Teams Android devices shouldn’t be considered the same as an Android mobile phone or tablet. The Android used on Microsoft Teams devices is a hardened version of the Android Open Source Project (AOSP) that each OEM (Original equipment manufacturer, the Microsoft partner making the devices) chooses and manages.
Teams Android devices are locked down to run only approved applications running in Android Kiosk mode. There is no user access to any of the Android system. Unlike Android mobiles or tablets, Teams-certified devices don’t have the Google Play Store, Amazon App Store, or Google Play Services. You cannot load or side-load applications.
Typically, hardened Android devices run an Android version a few versions down from the current mobile release. At time of writing the latest major release is Android 14.
Microsoft Teams Rooms on Android are locked to run these applications:
- Microsoft Teams Android App – the main MTR application
- Microsoft Teams Admin Agent Teams admin center Remote Management
- Intune Company Portal – for Device Enrolment, Registration & Sign-in
- OEM Partner Agent – the OEM Partner Agent & Device Settings App
How are updates managed on Microsoft Teams Rooms on Android?
Teams Android devices download Microsoft-certified updates from the Teams admin center. Devices are updated automatically or manually updated by a Teams Administrator. This covers the Android OS and the other applications. Device OEMs can optionally provide updates outside of the Teams Admin Center, but Microsoft recommends Microsoft certified releases provided via Microsoft.
The OEM manages the updates to the Android operating system. OEM Android updates are merged into Teams-certified firmware and then pushed to devices from the Teams admin center. As part of the firmware update process, OEMs incorporate the appropriate Android security update baselines to keep the base operating system secure. They can also upgrade the major version of Android this way.
Microsoft Teams Devices on Android Support Lifecycle
A key reason you want to understand what Android version your Microsoft Teams Rooms is running is that Microsoft device certification and support timelines depend on the Android version a device is running. The Microsoft Teams Devices Certification Program (which covers Microsoft Teams Rooms on Android, Panels, Displays and Phones) defines the Microsoft support timeline for specific Android versions.
Support end dates are based on the Android OS release date plus five years. Note this is the Android OS release date, not the date the device certifies. Microsoft will make efforts to support the most recent version of the Teams client for two years following the end of the certification period, but this is not a support commitment.
The current Microsoft Teams Android support dates* are:
- Android 9 current certification end date – November 5th, 2023
- Android 10 current certification end date – September 3, 2025 (previously September 3, 2024)
- Android 11 current certification end date – September 3, 2025
- Android 12 current certification end date – August 15, 2027 (previously October 6, 2026)
- Android 13 current certification end date – August 15, 2027 (Android 13 released August 15, 2022)
*Note, dates may change, check Microsoft documentation for latest dates. Microsoft do change and sometimes extend these dates.
OEMs can provide major Android OS version upgrades for their devices and re-certify them with Microsoft to provide a longer support lifecycle.
Can any Microsoft Teams Rooms/Devices on Android run the most current versions of Android?
No. Microsoft Teams Rooms vendors choose to build their solution with a particular chipset from a chip vendor, such as Qualcomm. There is a relationship/dependency between the Android Open Source Project, the chipset vendor, the device OEM, and Microsoft. That chip choice will ultimately define which major versions of Android are supported.
The Android Open Source Project (AOSP) is an initiative led by Google to develop and maintain the core building blocks of the Android operating system and make them freely available to device manufacturers, developers, and enthusiasts. AOSP provides the fundamental code that powers Android devices, allowing anyone to create or modify their own version of Android.
The Android Open Source Project defines which chips are supported for each major version, which then impacts the Android versions a device can support and, therefore, how long the Microsoft device certification will be.
As well as a chipset dependency, each Android major version also defines a minimum amount of RAM for a device. Android 12 requires at least 2GB of RAM, for example.
Ultimately, all Microsoft Teams Rooms on Android devices have a lifecycle defined by their chipset and the number of major Android upgrades the OEM provides. Also, just because a chipset can support a version of Android, does not mean the OEM will necesearrily provide it. OEMs often skip major versions, for example moving from 10 to 12, to maximise their investment.
Customers should talk to their device providers about the likely support lifecycle of specific devices. It can be a challenging conversation because, ultimately, the device OEM does not get to decide which chipsets the Android Open Source Project will support in the future, but they typically have some idea of the expected headroom they have with particular chipset choices.
As an option to manage the device support lifecycle. AudioCodes offers a unique device-as-a-service model, which de-risks this issue for the customer. When on the AudioCodes device subscription, if devices become unsupported, AudioCodes will provide the latest equivalent devices as part of the service.
AudioCodes will notify the customer of certification changes in advance and define a migration plan to a new certified device as long as the service contract continues. Customers can have predictably of cost and a current and fully certified Teams device.
Other important factors in your Teams device decison
Of course, Android OS version and support timeline is one of the many considerations when choosing Teams Room on Phone hardware.
Device features, functionality, performance, price, support models and cost, OEM management tooling, and supply in your needed regions should all be considered.
For all the latest device news check out the monthly Microsoft Teams Devices Ask Me Anything sessions where we go deep into all the device news and changes.
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