An Android feature designed to help users contact emergency services is making life difficult for first responders in the UK. The BBC reports that police forces across the country have reported an influx of fake emergency calls to the 999 telephone exchange (the UK’s equivalent of 911) in recent weeks, largely attributed to the Emergency SOS feature for Android phones.
Law enforcement in Scotlandand the English counties of Wiltshire, Devon, CornwallAnd Gloucestershire have reported receiving a higher number of silent or dropped calls since an Android update released between October 2022 and February 2023 introduced an SOS emergency calling feature to more Android phones. The BBC reports that each erroneous call can last about 20 minutes, as operators ensure it was not made by someone who would otherwise be unable to communicate an emergency verbally.
The SOS feature allows Android users to quickly contact emergency services by pressing their device’s power button multiple times. However, the action is easy to perform accidentally, resulting in a deluge of false emergencies.
Earlier this month, the National Council of Chiefs of Police brought the issue to attention on Twitter, notice that users can disable the Android feature to reduce the burden on emergency responders. “Calls to 999 where the operator cannot hear anyone on the line (silent calls) are never simply ignored. Call handlers will then have to spend valuable time trying to call you back to check if you need help,” the account said. tweeted on June 17. “If you accidentally dial 999, don’t hang up. If possible, stay on the phone and let the operator know it was an accident and you don’t need help.”
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 would otherwise be physically unable to call. While the feature has technically been available on Pixel phones for almost two years — with similar problems reported by Pixel users shortly after release – Emergency SOS took a while to arrive on other Android phone brands as device manufacturers are responsible for rolling out the feature (with tweaks) to their own devices. Essentially, Emergency SOS has only recently been rolled out to enough Android phones to draw much attention to the problem.
Google recommends disabling Emergency SOS until Android device manufacturers can update the feature.
Google has responded to the situation and the BBC that phone manufacturers are responsible for providing the Emergency SOS feature and managing how it works on their respective devices.
“To help these manufacturers prevent accidental emergency calls on their devices, Android provides them with additional guidance and resources,” a Google spokesperson told the company. BBC. “We expect that device manufacturers will soon roll out updates to their users that address this issue. Users who continue to experience this issue should disable Emergency SOS for the next few days.
To disable it, go to the device settings and search for ‘Emergency SOS’. From there, flip the switch to “off”.
The problem with accidental calls to emergency services is not unique to the UK or to Android. Law enforcement about Europe And Canada have similarly reported a significant increase in accidental emergency calls associated with Android’s Emergency SOS feature. Apple has also run into problems with its own emergency calls, such as the Crash Detection feature on the iPhone 14 that activates when users ride rollercoasters.
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