April 26, 2023
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) has observed a significant increase in 911 hang-up calls, possibly due to Android’s Emergency SOS feature. The Emergency SOS feature on Android allows users to contact emergency services by pressing the power button five times. The OPP is urging Android users to turn off the feature as people could mistakenly dial 911 without being aware.
This is not the first incident of a smartphone mistakenly calling emergency services. Apple’s crash detection feature has led to false calls to emergency services. In some cases, it was triggered when people were on roller coasters.
The OPP took to Twitter earlier this month to warn the public about the increase in accidental emergency calls. These calls can lead to delayed responses for individuals who require immediate assistance. The accidental 911 triggers could be linked to Google’s decision to make Emergency SOS mandatory in Android 12. Many Android manufacturers have enabled the feature by default.
To turn off the Emergency SOS feature, Android users can go to Settings > Safety & emergency > turn off the toggle next to Emergency SOS.
The OPP’s advice to turn off the Emergency SOS feature is a precautionary measure aimed at reducing the number of accidental emergency calls. It is essential for smartphone users to be aware of the features on their devices and their functions to prevent unintentional calls to emergency services.
The sources for this piece include an article in Mobilesyrup.
