Smartphones have not only been used for convenience and day-to-day tasks. In certain cases, the features your phone has can even save your life. Through RapidSOS, your location is not the only thing that will be sent to first responders, but critical health data as well.
Unfortunately, Not All Androids Have It
Google is making good progress with safety features for Android phones. Through RapidSOS, it can send important medical data to first responders, which could just save your life. It will automatically be transmitted the moment you call 911.
While some people have the ability to relay their information through the call, others might not be in the right condition to do so. With the critical data available to first responders, they can quickly act on the scene and provide the user with what they need based on their data.
Only certain Android devices have this feature, unfortunately, and you can easily check if your device has it. If you have a Google Pixel phone or a Nothing Phone 1, then it's a guarantee that you have the emergency feature.
As for others, check if you have the Personal Safety app. If so, you can enter your medical information, such as age, weight, blood type, allergies, and more, as reported by The Verge. These are the medical information that responders might need in the field.
You can determine whether you have the Emergency SOS function through your phone's Settings and then Safety & Emergency. You can even add other types of information that can be helpful, such as an emergency contact or whether you're an organ donor.
They will be sent through the RapidSOS platform, which already sends out your location when you dial 911 since 2018. However, this particular feature is only available to iPhones and Google's flagship phones, Google Pixels.
Google Pixels for Emergency SOS
The search giant's flagship phones have a huge advantage over other Android devices when it comes to emergency features. Other than the Personal Safety app through RapidSOS, Google has added other emergency features that all Pixel devices can access.
It was first introduced in the Android 12 update, which lets users call local emergency services by pressing their power button five consecutive times. It will then show a countdown after activation so users can cancel it in case it was pressed by accident.
On the downside, this has resulted in several accidental calls or emergency operators and can sometimes take up 20 minutes of their time, which could've been spent assisting someone who's really in trouble. Regardless, the feature can still be enough to save lives.
Back in June, Scotland has seen an influx of false calls to 999, which is their emergency number. The National Police Chief's Council stated that they believe it has something to do with the recent Android update, as per 9To5Google.
Google responded to the concerns, saying that they aim to make changes to how the Emergency SOS works. "Android is providing [manufacturers] with additional guidance and resources. We anticipate device manufacturers will roll out updates to their users that address this issue shortly"
