Android’s ‘Emergency SOS’ blamed for influx of false calls, Google will make changes

Emergency calls are a crucial function of your smartphone, and many brands have made efforts to make those calls more accessible in an emergency. But Android’s “Emergency SOS” feature is currently under fire for causing accidental calls, and it’s going to lead to Google making changes.

Google introduced Emergency SOS on Android with the release of Android 12. The feature allows Android phones, specifically Pixels, to start a call to your local emergency services with five consecutive taps of the power button. There’s a few-seconds countdown after the feature has been active that gives you a chance to cancel if it’s an accident, but the point of the feature is to allow the call without looking at your phone in emergency situations. On Pixel, the feature can even start recording video.

Each brand has a slightly different take on this feature, but many work the same way. After being enabled, five taps of the power button will activate a call to emergency services.

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But in Scotland, the BBC reports, Emergency SOS is being blamed for an influx of false alarm calls to 999. The silent calls apparently take up to 20 minutes for an operator to deal with, as they urge callers to confirm the call was a mistake. 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.

The Council also claims that this has become more of an issue following updates to Android 13, and apparently the European Emergency Number Association has also seen reports of a “surge in automatic false calls originating from Android devices.”

In response, Google has confirmed that it will make changes to how Emergency SOS works on Android. A Google spokesperson said that updates will roll out “shortly,” but didn’t explain what changes may be coming.

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.

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