Android’s Emergency SOS feature, which was first introduced with Android 12, is very useful in serious situations. But this “Emergency SOS” feature is currently under fire for causing accidental calls.
With the SOS feature, you can call local emergency services by tapping on the power button 5 consecutive times (in Google Pixel smartphones).
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According to BBC reports, the Emergency SOS feature could be the reason for false alarm calls to 999. The National Police Chiefs Council said:
Nationally, all emergency services are currently experiencing record high 999 call volumes. There’s a few reasons for this, but one we think is having a significant impact is an update to Android smartphones.
We are likely to see some changes in the working of Emergency SOS on Android with a new software update, confirms Google.
To help these manufacturers prevent unintentional emergency calls on their devices, Android is providing them with additional guidance and resources. We anticipate device manufacturers will roll out updates to their users that address this issue shortly. Users that continue to experience this issue should switch Emergency SOS off for the next couple of days.
Nationally, all emergency services are currently experiencing record high 999 call volumes. There's a few reasons for this but one we think is having a significant impact is an update to Android smartphones…
📷thanks to @NYorksPolice pic.twitter.com/TbmRQgTsUe
— National Police Chiefs' Council (NPCC) (@PoliceChiefs) June 17, 2023
