Having an emergency feature is not a bad thing since it can actually save lives. The problem comes when the feature is activated accidentally, which starts getting in the way of people who actually need help. According to dispatchers, this has been a problem with Android's emergency feature lately.
Accidental Emergency Calls
Android 12 comes with an emergency call feature where users can press the power button five times to call 999, which is UK's equivalent to the US 911. However, the feature is proving to do more harm than good after a couple of accidental calls to dispatchers.
The National Police Chiefs Council said in a tweet that all emergency services have seen a record high in 999 calls. Although there are many reasons behind it, the council believes that it is majorly caused by the update in Android systems, as mentioned in Ars Technica.
In just one department, 169 silent calls were made on Sunday within 19 hours. Google said that it's already resolving the issue with Android OEMs. Until the issue is not yet fixed, the tech giant recommends turning the feature off first to avoid further accidental calls.
There is an issue with that measure. For one, different Android phones have various settings systems, so you might have to look for it on your own without the help of tutorials or instructions. It would be easier to simply search "emergency SOS" in your settings.
There's also the fact that some phones don't actually have an on/off button for the feature. For instance, there are Galaxy S22 and S23 builds that don't let you turn off the emergency button shortcut, only letting you decide if it should play a warning sound.
It's also possible that a fix will not roll out at the same time for all devices, given that Google is putting the manufacturers in charge of how the emergency call feature works. Although Google is giving them "guidance and resources," we can't tell when updates will be available for each manufacturer.
Apple Has the Same Problem
Since the release of the iPhone 14 models, Apple added a Crash Detection feature that automatically calls emergency services when an accident occurs. In the span of a few weeks, Japanese Alps emergency services reported 134 false calls.
The number makes up 10% of the total calls made to the emergency service. What's worse is that since they can't determine which ones were made by accident, the responders would have to check them out, resulting in resources being wasted.
In addition to that, it could also take the emergency service away from those who actually need it. According to 9To5Mac, the accidental calls were activated as the users with Apple devices like iPhones or smartwatches were skiing down a slope.
Since the users are too busy to notice that it has been activated, they miss the 20-second window where they can dismiss the activation of the feature. It would also be unlikely for them to hear the alarm sound that the device emits during the countdown.
