EA Play Chat Support

Posted on by Adam Fowler

Had to share this one. I had finished setting up my new gaming PC and wanted to try a game – so thought Battlefield V would do the trick, which is ‘free’ under my Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription, which gives access to EA Play. Except, it doesn’t work, and doesn’t say why:

Anyway, I decided to use EA’s online chat support. Unsurprisingly, it’s not a fun experience – because online chat support rarely is. I’d already spoken to them once where their suggestion was to uninstall and reinstall the EA Desktop app, and I was coming back the next day on the same case to tell them it hadn’t worked. Read on…

Mamta (9/9/2021, 8:58:55 PM): Thank you for contacting EA HELP, my name is Mamta, may I start with your first name please?
Adam (9/9/2021, 8:59:11 PM): Adam
Mamta (9/9/2021, 8:59:48 PM): Hello Adam, nice to meet you! Hope you’re doing fine.
Adam (9/9/2021, 9:00:10 PM): Thanks you too
Mamta (9/9/2021, 9:00:27 PM): So, how may I help you today Adam?
Adam (9/9/2021, 9:01:07 PM): Case #89886608
Adam (9/9/2021, 9:01:16 PM): returning back after doing what I was told, hasn’t changed anything
Adam (9/9/2021, 9:01:27 PM): There also seems to be other seeing the same issue as me https://answers.ea.com/t5/EA-General-Questions/not-currently-playable/m-p/10710162#M373028
Mamta (9/9/2021, 9:01:57 PM): Okay! Let me see the case first and I’ll try to help you in the best way possible.
Mamta (9/9/2021, 9:03:45 PM): So as per the details provided by you, you’re unable to launch any game using X box game pass.
Adam (9/9/2021, 9:04:35 PM): yes
Adam (9/9/2021, 9:04:44 PM): my ea play account shows ‘play’ next to my name
Adam (9/9/2021, 9:05:13 PM): and logging onto my ea account it says EA Play with Xbox Game Pass
Mamta (9/9/2021, 9:06:19 PM): I am sorry you have had to deal with this, Let me just go through the account first and pull out certain details.
Adam (9/9/2021, 9:07:51 PM): ok
Mamta (9/9/2021, 9:08:25 PM): So, before moving a head could you please help me with your resisted email account with EA?
Adam (9/9/2021, 9:09:19 PM): [email protected]
Mamta (9/9/2021, 9:09:34 PM): Thank you! I am sending you a six-digit verification code to the email linked to your account so that I can verify your account from my end.
Adam (9/9/2021, 9:10:44 PM): 701367
Mamta (9/9/2021, 9:12:07 PM): Thank you for the verification Adam! Now could you please explain what type of error are you getting while starting the game.
Adam (9/9/2021, 9:13:10 PM): i cant start the game – the error is what I logged for this case “Not currently playable Unavailable This item can’t be purchased or played at this tim‎e”
Mamta (9/9/2021, 9:14:37 PM): I can see why you would be upset, Please allow some moments to work on your issue.
Adam (9/9/2021, 9:14:41 PM): all play games I havent played before seem to be like this
Mamta (9/9/2021, 9:15:30 PM): Okay! Let me see what I can do from my end.
Mamta (9/9/2021, 9:18:48 PM): So Adam what all troubleshooting steps you have attempted till now? This information would help us to not repeat any troubleshooting step.
Adam (9/9/2021, 9:19:07 PM): uninstalled and reinstalled the client
Mamta (9/9/2021, 9:22:08 PM): Okay, thanks for the information. Now we’ll move further. Allow me few moments.
Adam (9/9/2021, 9:23:07 PM): also tried on another computer and I see the same problem
Mamta (9/9/2021, 9:23:16 PM): Adam which Xbox are you using to play the game?
Adam (9/9/2021, 9:23:34 PM): its on PC not Xbox
Mamta (9/9/2021, 9:24:32 PM): I apologize for that, let me go through the details of your account.
Mamta (9/9/2021, 9:26:42 PM): Adam could you please confirm whether the network you’re using is a wired or wireless connection.
Adam (9/9/2021, 9:27:04 PM): wired
Mamta (9/9/2021, 9:27:55 PM): Thank you for confirming that! Going ahead with your issue, please stay connected.
Mamta (9/9/2021, 9:29:23 PM): Adam could you confirm the EA Desktop or Origin you’re using is up to date.
Adam (9/9/2021, 9:30:01 PM): yes it is
Mamta (9/9/2021, 9:30:24 PM): That’s great! Hold on a moment Adam.
Mamta (9/9/2021, 9:34:00 PM): Also Adam, I hope you’re running your game as an Administrator please confirm.
Adam (9/9/2021, 9:35:32 PM): yes i am
Mamta (9/9/2021, 9:36:31 PM): Great! Still working on the issue, stay connected!
Mamta (9/9/2021, 9:42:04 PM): Adam it’s taking a bit long then usual. Please stay connectd.
Adam (9/9/2021, 9:46:02 PM): its been 45 minutes so far and we haven’t really done anything
Mamta (9/9/2021, 9:48:51 PM): Adam could you please help me with your Gamer Tag.
Adam (9/9/2021, 9:49:59 PM): gamertag
Mamta (9/9/2021, 9:50:49 PM): Thanks for the information, I’m checking the details. Please allow me few moments.
Mamta (9/9/2021, 9:55:20 PM): Thank you Adam for being connected, as I can see here your you haven’t linked your game pass with your EA account I would request to please kindly contact for the same.
Adam (9/9/2021, 9:56:44 PM): how do I do that, my profile says I already have
Mamta (9/9/2021, 9:59:49 PM): Let me see, if I could help you in this.\
Mamta (9/9/2021, 10:02:11 PM): I apologies there was some technical glitch, as I’m able to see your Game Pass now. However I wouldn’t able to assist you in this matter and request you to contact Twitch for more information.
Adam (9/9/2021, 10:02:34 PM): What has Twitch got to do with this?
Mamta (9/9/2021, 10:04:09 PM): I’m sorry I mean to say “Microsoft”.
Adam (9/9/2021, 10:04:40 PM): I logged this with them first and they said it was an EA problem?
Mamta (9/9/2021, 10:09:41 PM): I really apologize for such a long wait Adam.
Mamta (9/9/2021, 10:11:45 PM): As I have double checked this is a known issue from our end, we have seen that more players are encountering the same issue our team is working to fir this.
Adam (9/9/2021, 10:12:44 PM): so if it’s a problem your end why did you tell me to talk to Microsoft?
Adam (9/9/2021, 10:14:14 PM): How will I find out when this is resolved?
Mamta (9/9/2021, 10:15:14 PM): I really apologize for the miss-information, however when I have checked your account and error provided by you I saw that this is a known issue and many players are facing the same.
Mamta (9/9/2021, 10:16:56 PM): Sadly. As of now we don’t have any update regarding this but we’re still working on this issue.
Adam (9/9/2021, 10:18:31 PM): So will I get contacted when it’s resolved?
Mamta (9/9/2021, 10:21:14 PM): Let me check it for you. Please allow me few moments.
Mamta (9/9/2021, 10:26:05 PM): Thanks for waiting patiently for this issue you can check our official forums whether this issue is resolved or not and yes you will connected when this issue gets resolved.

It was at that stage, almost 1 and a half hours into it, that I closed the browser.

Microsoft Viva replaced MyAnalytics emails

Posted on by Adam Fowler

Today I noticed for the first time, that the MyAnalytics emails that were coming through weekly, showing where your time was being spent, emails you may need to respond to etc had been replaced by Microsoft Viva. There’s also a post in TechCommunity covering this in detail.

The previous MyAnalytics emails would come in weekly, and be broken up into different editions – Wellbeing, Focus, Collaboration or Network edition. This new monthly digest indicates Microsoft Viva is the way forward. Note that this still works the same way as MyAnalytics where the contents of the email are private to you, and do not come as a normal email that would be trackable (more details in my MyAnalytics article)

The new emails still (for now) link back to the https://myanalytics.microsoft.com/ domain which again for now, shows the message that it’s becoming Microsoft Viva:

That ‘Learn more’ link takes you here: https://www.microsoft.com/en-au/microsoft-viva/insights/?s=mya with some details around Microsoft Viva. One of the main links there takes you to Viva Insights on Teams, which is the Insights addin option that’ll show up on the left menu and take you to the Viva Insights Home page.

The Stay Connected tab is worth checking out, as it will highlight email conversations it thinks are things you need to do, or highlight people (team members for me) that you don’t have a 1 on 1 meeting scheduled for the next twk weeks.

Going back to the web page for Microsoft Viva, there’s a lot more content then when I looked when it first launched. One section I thought was notable was under Network, you can see your Top Collaborators and their read percent and response time of emails.

My point on all this, is that there’s a lot going on here. People may find it and have questions around it, especially when these emails are generated to all staff by default. Someone may have stumbled across the ‘Delay Delivery enabled’ option and turned it on, then forgotten about it later, complaining about emails being slow to get to customers or clients:

What we’re seeing above with Microsoft Viva and MyAnalytics (now Viva Insights) is only a part of the full Microsoft Viva solution too – there’s also Viva Connections, Viva Topics and Viva Learning:

Viva Connections and Viva Insights are generally covered under an existing license, but Viva Topics and Viva Learning are at an extra cost.

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga Gen 6

Posted on by Adam Fowler

Lenovo’s X1 Yoga for 2021 is now out – the 6th generation in the line of X1 Yogas, bringing in several changes to the line. We’ve come a long way from the first release too, but in essence it’s still an all-rounder laptop that can be flipped and rotated in all different ways, with a stylus and touch screen to provide an adaptable piece of hardware.

Specs

Tech Specs

ProcessorUp to 11th Generation Intel® Core™ i7-1185G7 Processor with vPro™ (3.00 GHz, up to 4.80 GHz with Turbo Boost, 4 Cores, 8 Threads, 12 MB Cache)
Operating System– Windows 10 Home
– Windows 10 Pro
– Linux Ubuntu
Display– 14″ UHD+ 4K (3840 x 2400) IPS, anti-reflection, anti-smudge, touchscreen with Dolby Vision™, HDR, 500 nits, 90% DCI P3 Color Gamut, TÜV Rheinland-certified for reduced blue light emissions
– 14″ FHD+ (1920 x 1200) IPS, anti-glare, touchscreen with Privacy Guard, 500 nits 14″ FHD+ (1920 x 1200) IPS, anti-glare, touchscreen, 400 nits, TÜV Rheinland-certified for reduced blue light emissions
– 14″ FHD+ (1920 x 1200) IPS, anti-reflective, anti-smudge, touchscreen, low power, 400 nits Screen to body ratio = 83%; aspect ratio = 16:10
MemoryUp to 32 GB LPDDR4x 4266MHz
BatteryUp to 16.1 hours 57Whr (MM18) Rapid Charge (requires 65W PSU or higher)
StorageUp to 1TB PCIe SSD
GraphicsIntegrated Intel® Iris® Xe Graphics
Security– Discrete Trusted Platform Module (dTPM) 2.0
– Optional: Human-presence detection sensor with IR camera
– Smart Power On fingerprint reader integrated with power button (match-on-chip)
– Webcam privacy shutter
– Kensington lock slot
AudioDolby Atmos® Speaker System
– 4 x 360-degree far-field mics
– Dolby Voice® professional conferencing solution
Camera720p HD with webcam privacy shutter Optional: Hybrid infrared (IR) / 720p HD with webcam privacy shutter
Dimensions (H x W x D)14.9mm x 313mm x 223mm x / 0.59″ x 12.32″ x 8.77″
WeightStarting at 3 lbs (1.35 kg)
ColorStorm Gray
CertificationsEnergy Star® 8.0 EPEAT® Gold
Connectivity– Optional: WWAN* Qualcomm Snapdragon X55 5G Modem-RF System 
– Optional: WWAN* Quectel EM120R-GL 4G LTE CAT12
– WLAN: Up to Intel® AX201 WiFi 6 802.11AX (2 x 2) with vPro™
– Bluetooth® 5.1 *
Ports / Slots– 2 x USB 4 Type-C with Thunderbolt™ 4 (DisplayPort, Power Delivery and Data Transfer)
– 2 x USB-A 3.2 Gen 1 (One always on)
– Headphone / mic combo
– HDMI 2.0
– Optional: Nano SIM slot
KeyboardSpill-resistant Color-matched keyboard with wider 110mm / 4.33″ TrackPad Backlit with white LED lighting Call-control keys (F9-F11)
Supported DockingUSB-C Dock ThinkPad Thunderbolt™ 4
What’s in the box– ThinkPad X1 Yoga Gen 6
– 65W AC Adapter (Supports Rapid Charge)
– 57Whr Internal Battery
– ThinkPad Pen Pro
– Quick Start Guide

I’ll cover the components I think are worth discussing:

Processor

Intel’s 11th Gen CPU is inside the Yoga X1 Gen 6. Tom’s Hardware do a good comparison of the differences and benchmark comparisons between 10th and 11th gen mobile Intel CPUs, with some rather large graphics and gaming improvements due to the Iris Xe Graphics’ capabilities. As expected, the CPU is a bit faster overall :)

Display

Some big changes here. The first obvious difference is the resolution – 1920 x 1200 instead of the usual 1920 x 1080. This is due to the screen ratio change, 16:10 instead of the 16:9 it used to be. The result is a little bit more space top to bottom, which is actually handy to have. If you have corporate backgrounds deploying out a 1920 x 1080 picture, you might need to adjust it to look good on this screen too.

Memory

The first X1 Yoga to have 32GB of RAM as an option! Nice if you’re planning on some grunt work, like running a few virtual machines.

Battery

The ~16 hours claimed battery life is quite high – so this should get you through a full working day without needing to plug in. Previous models were way over the 8 hour mark too, which to me would be the goal of battery life – last a working day so if you’re travelling, you’re not looking for a power point.

Graphics

Intel’s onboard graphics are still plenty good for general use, even light gaming. Note that Intel claim “Gamers can play fast and hard with new Intel® Iris® Xe graphics featuring up to 1080p 60FPS for more detailed, immersive gaming.”. I’m sure AAA gaming titles will need to be played on low/medium settings, but depending what you play and your expectations, this might be fine (low graphics quality games like Among Us are fine!).

Camera

We’re still at 720p for some reason – which is not isolated to Lenovo. I’m hoping next year we see 1080p as the standard resolution of inbuilt cameras, especially on premium laptops.

As usual, Lenovo progresses forward while keeping the fundamental reason Yogas exist – a flexible device that provides an all round experience. Going all the way back to the X1 Yoga Gen 1 I said the same thing. Now we have a few different laptop options in the ThinkPad series such as the X1 Nano and the X1 Fold (which I’d love to get my hands on), while the X1 Carbon is up to the 9th Generation – a very nice, thin laptop, but no touch screen.

Also worth noting is the touchpad is bigger on the X1 Yoga Gen 6, so this could be a deciding factor if comparing it to older models.

I’m sticking with the X1 Yoga still, but we’ll see what new devices Lenovo come out with, and if they’ll tempt me with something different and new!

For some more photos and a comparison to the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga Gen 5, check out my other post Fifth and Sixth Generations of the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga.

*Although I am in a program with Lenovo (called Lenovo Insiders), no direct arrangements were made regarding this review or providing of hardware.

Azure AD Connect v2 – Upgrade Now

Posted on by Adam Fowler

Dirsync, Azure AD Sync, Azure AD Connect, and now Azure AD Connect v2. The second version of Azure AD Connect is important because it’s not an automatic upgrade, and has some different requirements.

Microsoft’s documentation Introduction to Azure AD Connect V2.0 covers this off well, and you can do an in-place upgrade, but read that link first. Microsoft are recommending you upgrade to this now, as mentioned in the article.

If you’re not sure what version of Azure AD Connect you’re on, you can log onto your server running the agent, bring up apps and features, and select Microsoft Azure AD Connect. Here I’ve got v1.6.4.0:

You can download the latest version from https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=47594

You may find that TLS1.2 isn’t enabled on your server – for me, it wasn’t enabled by default on Windows Server 2019. The registry keys and PowerShell script to change them is available here: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/active-directory/hybrid/reference-connect-tls-enforcement

If you try to install without doing this, you’ll have to exit, then run Azure AD Connect which will be ready to upgrade – don’t try to re-run the MSI you downloaded.

The upgrade itself is fairly unexciting, which is what we want when making changes in production that allow the entire organisation to authenticate:

You’ll need to use Azure AD Administrator credentials as a part of the install.

Once done, you can go back to Apps & features to see the new version:

Also it’s worth checking Synchronization Service Manager to make sure it’s syncing without error. All you need to do is open the program which is installed as a part of Azure AD Connect, and see the status and times. If there’s an error, it’ll tell you.

That’s it, you’ll be up and running on Azure AD Connect v2, with auto updates happening again to keep you continually updated.

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga Gen 5

Posted on by Adam Fowler

Lenovo released the ThinkPad X1 Yoga Gen 5 in mid 2020. This was a minor jump from the Gen 4 – they look very similar. The Intel CPU jumps up from 8th Gen to 10th Gen is nice – at the bottom end it’s about a 5% to 7% speed improvement, but there’s also faster RAM.

The laptop itself looks very sleek, feels robust, and the screen hinge is very firm – it’ll stay wherever you put it.

Let’s check out the specifications:

Tech Specs

Processor10th Generation Intel® Core™ i5-10210U Processor (1.60 GHz, up to 4.20 GHz with Turbo Boost, 4 Cores, 8 Threads, 6 MB Cache)
10th Generation Intel® Core™ i7-10510U Processor (1.80 GHz, up to 4.90 GHz with Turbo Boost, 4 Cores, 8 Threads, 8 MB Cache)
10th Generation Intel® Core™ i5-10310U Processor with vPro™ (1.70 GHz, up to 4.40 GHz with Turbo Boost, 4 Cores, 8 Threads, 6 MB Cache)
10th Generation Intel® Core™ i7-10610U Processor with vPro™ (1.80 GHz, up to 4.90 GHz with Turbo Boost, 4 Cores, 8 Threads, 8 MB Cache)
Operating SystemUbuntu Linux
Windows 10 Home
Windows 10 Pro
Display14″ 4K UHD (3840 x 2160) IPS, touchscreen with Dolby Vision™ HDR 400, AR/AS*, 500 nits14″ WQHD (2560 x 1440) IPS, touchscreen, AR/AS*, 300 nits
14″ FHD (1920 x 1080) IPS, touchscreen low power, AR/AS*, 400 nits
14″ FHD (1920 x 1080) IPS, touchscreen with Privacy Guard, AR/AS*, 500 nits*Antireflective / antismudge
MemoryUp to 16 GB LPDDR3 (Soldered)
BatteryUp to 19.3 hours* (MM14)
Up to 13 hours* (MM18)
51Wh battery includes Rapid Charge
StorageUp to 1 TB PCIe SSD
GraphicsIntegrated Intel® UHD Graphics
SecurityFast Identity Online (FIDO) authentication capabilities
Match-on-chip fingerprint reader
TPM 2.0 chip
ThinkShutter camera cover
AudioDolby Atmos® Speaker System
4 x 360-degree far-field microphones
CameraHD 720p with ThinkShutter privacy cover
Optional: Hybrid Infrared (IR) & HD 720p with ThinkShutter
Dimensions (W x D x H)323mm x 218mm x 15.2mm / 12″ x 8.5″ x 0.59″
WeightStarting at 1.35kg / 2.99lb
ColorIron Gray
ConnectivityIntel® Wi-Fi 6 AX201 802.11AX (2 x 2) & Bluetooth® 5.1
Intel® Wi-Fi 6 AX201 802.11AX (2 x 2) & Bluetooth® 5.1 with vPro™Optional WWAN: Integrated Global Mobile Broadband 4G LTE-A
Ports2 x USB-C Thunderbolt™ 3 (Power Delivery, DisplayPort) 
2 x USB 3.2** (Gen 1) (1 Always on)
HDMI 1.4
Network extension for Ethernet/side mechanical docking
Headphone / mic combo
KeyboardFull sized, spill resistant
Backlit with white LED lighting
What’s in the boxThinkPad X1 Yoga Gen 565W AC adapter
ThinkPad Pen Pro4 Cell 51Wh Internal battery
Quick start guide

I’ll point out some considerations on the above:

The CPU options are reasonable – i5 or i7 10th Gen Intel. Unless you need more CPU grunt, any of these options should be fine.

Ubuntu Linux officially supported and a pre-install option is good for those who prefer that space, and choice is always good. As much as I like Windows, you shouldn’t be forced to have it if you don’t want it.

There’s a lot of display options here, from 1080p (which I personally still go for in the work space), 2K, and 4K. A 1080p option is to have Privacy Guard – good for people who don’t want others seeing their screen – and it’s a toggle, rather than an always on thing:

The 16GB RAM has been my new minimum standard for the last few years – but also maximum, I see usage in the workplace easily go over 8GB with Edge/Chrome and Microsoft Teams running, but still not go near the 16GB mark.

The two battery options are again nice, with the smaller battery still more than enough for a day’s work. Rapid Charge is a must – you don’t want to have to plug in for hours if you do happen to run flat, before you can be on the go again.

Wi-Fi 6 is a nice upgrade on this model if you’re connecting to infrastructure that supports it. Here’s a good article on Wi-Fi 6 and it’s benefits.

OK, let’s move on to some photos of the device:

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga Gen 5

Front – 4 mic holes
Left Side – USB-C (inc charging), USB-C/Ethernet Dongle port, USB-A, HDMI, Audio Jack
Back – Hinges, no vents.
Right – Stylus, power button, USB-C, air vent, Kensington lock

Keyboard

As per usual, I don’t have any complaints about the device. This review is a bit late, so I’ve been using it for quite a while without issue. As you can see from the above photos, it’s a bit of a fingerprint magnet, but nowhere as obvious in real life vs what shows up in a photo.

I’ve posted two other articles on Four Generations of the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga and Fifth and Sixth Generations of the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga if you’d like more details comparing this against other models. The newer Sixth Generation Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga is a bit more of a leap which I’ll review on it’s own soon.

I expect we’ll continue to see laptops in the X1 Yoga line-up for some time still!

*Although I am in a program with Lenovo (called Lenovo Insiders), no direct arrangements were made regarding this review or providing of hardware.