First responders throughout the world will be happy with this change Google made to Android
Back in April, we told you that the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) department issued a tweet warning Android users about accidental emergency calls being made which were tying up the OPP switchboard. Tapping on the power button five times or more in a row on many Android phones will call emergency services, share information with them, and record a video. The cops asked Android users to toggle off the feature by going to Settings > Safety & emergency > Emergency SOS. Toggle off Use Emergency SOS. This "Emergency SOS" feature is toggled on by default.
However, you might be upset that you disabled this feature when caught in an emergency situation and you probably won't have the time to toggle the feature back on. So Google made a change to "Emergency SOS" that adds a protective layer, so to speak. Android expert Mishaal Rahman posted a tweet on "X" about an extra step that Android users can arrange to take after pressing the power button 5+ times.
Google seems to have added this new step sometime this summer and after pressing the power button the requisite number of times, a "touch & hold" button appears on the screen which you have to press for three seconds for the system to call emergency services. This is now how Android phones come by default out of the box and this should help take the pressure off of police switchboards, operators, and dispatchers.
This "Hold & Touch ring should reduce or even eliminate accidental emergency calls from Android phones
Those who would rather have "Emergency SOS" start without having to touch and hold the screen can set up their Android phone to call emergency services after the five or more power button presses following a five-second countdown.
Android users can decide to disable "Hold & Touch" if they want a more automatic emergency system
The OPP was not the only police department complaining about an influx of accidental emergency calls. In the U.K., Android users accidentally setting off "Emergency SOS" led the National Police Chiefs Council to tweet, "Nationally, all emergency services are currently experiencing record high 999 call volumes. There are a few reasons for this, but one we think is having a significant impact is an update to Android smartphones." The update being referred to was the one to Android 13, which was also cited by the OPP.
Since Android 13, phone manufacturers were told by Google to either include the latter's Personal Safety app or their own emergency info app on Android phones.
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