Android feature blamed for rise in false emergency calls in the UK

An Android feature designed to help users contact emergency services is making life difficult for first responders in the UK. BBC The report states that police forces across the country have reported false emergencies to 999 switchboards (the UK’s equivalent of 911) in recent weeks, mainly attributed to the Emergency SOS feature for Android phones Is.

in law enforcement Scotlandand English County Wiltshire, Devon, CornwallAnd Gloucestershire A higher number of silent or missed calls have been reported since Android updates released between October 2022 and February 2023 introduced the emergency SOS calling feature to more Android phones. BBC The report states that each false call can take around 20 minutes to deal with as operators ensure it is not made by someone who is otherwise unable to verbalize an emergency.

The SOS feature allows Android users to quickly contact emergency services by pressing their device’s power button multiple times. However, it is easy to take action casually, resulting in a flood of “but dial” false emergencies.

Earlier this month, the National Council of Police Chiefs highlighted the issue on Twitter, noting that Android users can disable the feature to reduce the burden on emergency responders. “Calls to 999 where the operator cannot hear anyone on the line (silent calls) are never ignored. Then the call handlers will have to spend valuable time calling you back to check whether you need assistance,” account Tweeted On 17th June. “If you dial 999 by mistake, please do not hang up. If possible, please stay on the line and tell the operator that this was an accident and you do not need any assistance.”

Introduced with the release of Android 12 on Google Pixel phones in 2021, Emergency SOS is designed to make it easier to call for help in situations where users may otherwise be physically unable to dial. While the feature has technically been available on Pixel phones for almost two years similar issues Reported by Pixel users soon after it was released — Emergency SOS has taken a while to arrive on other Android phone brands as device makers have been responsible for rolling out the feature (with customization) to their own devices. Essentially, Emergency SOS has been introduced to Android phones recently enough to draw significant attention to the issue.

Google has responded to the situation and provided information BBC Phone manufacturers are responsible for offering the Emergency SOS feature and managing how it will work on their respective devices.

“To help these manufacturers prevent inadvertent emergency calls on their devices, Android is providing them with additional guidance and resources,” a Google spokesperson said. BBC, “We hope that device manufacturers will release updates that address this issue for their users soon. Users who are constantly facing this issue should turn off Emergency SOS for the next few days.

To disable it go to device settings and search for “Emergency SOS”. From there you switch the toggle to “Off”.

The problem of accidental calls to emergency services is not confined to the UK or Android. throughout law enforcement europe And Canada Similarly, there has been a significant increase in accidental emergency calls related to Android’s Emergency SOS feature. Apple has also faced problems with its own emergency calling, such as the crash detection feature on the iPhone 14 being activated when users ride a rollercoaster.