Android automated SOS feature is causing serious problems

With each new software program replace, smartphone producers are on the lookout for methods to make our lives simpler, extra environment friendly and safer. So when Google launched a brand new Android feature to automate calls to the emergency companies, it was anticipated to be a large success. But stories from UK police means that the Emergency SOS perform is really a serious drawback.
What is the Emergency SOS feature?
In an emergency, the sooner you possibly can contact emergency companies, the higher. To make the decision, you usually need to unlock your handset, open the telephone app after which dial a 3 digit quantity (911 within the US, 999 within the UK or 112 in Europe) to talk to an operator.
Most of us can full this course of in a short time, however each second counts in an emergency. And what occurs if you’re trapped or injured and can’t do all these steps?
So Android’s builders determined they may make the method a lot faster and simpler with the Emergency SOS feature. When enabled, customers can name the emergency companies simply by urgent the facility button a number of occasions. There’s no have to unlock the telephone or dial a quantity – simply press a single button.
So what’s the issue?
It is very simple to set off the Emergency SOS perform – and this is an issue. British police report that there have been lots of of nuisance calls to the emergency companies helpline, the place Android telephone house owners have by accident pressed the facility button repeatedly.
When a consumer ‘butt dials’ the emergency companies helpdesk, an operator should follow-up to substantiate the decision was accident. According to officers, these checks can take as much as 20 minutes, drawing vital sources away from coping with real emergencies.
What will be executed?
Google is clear that smartphone handset producers are accountable for how the Emergency SOS perform is carried out on gadgets. However, they’ve agreed to offer manufacturing companions with extra steering and recommendation which might then be handed on to prospects. By merely elevating consciousness of how the feature will be triggered by accident, they hope that prospects will take extra care with their telephones.
Google additionally advises anybody who has made a number of 999 calls to deactivate the perform for now. You can do that by opening your telephone’s settings and looking for ‘Emergency SOS’, then toggling the swap to ‘Off’.
In the meantime, we look ahead to the extra steering offered by Google and the way Android smartphone operators can stop unintended calls to the emergency companies.

https://www.pandasecurity.com/en/mediacenter/mobile-security/android-sos-feature-problems/