General > General Technical Chat
Emergency Services Partly Overwelmed By New Android Update:Quick Emergency Dial
<< < (3/4) > >>
mendip_discovery:
I saw a bit on the TV about this and they seemed rather vague as they said there was an increase in silent calls and they think it may be due to the Android feature. They won't mention the Apple feature, https://support.apple.com/en-gb/HT213225 that calls if it believes you have had an accident. I get the feeling it was a reminder for people not to prank call and if they accidentally call to remind people to say I am ok just an accidental call. But as it's gone along the editors have zoned in on the android technology is the scary thing, I am shocked there was no mention of AI. The hot weather means people are out doing stuff and that causes a lot of calls to 999 so they are very busy so these stories come out each year.

I would like to see the Data or at least some summary. I wonder how many are the standard accidental calls, and the kids being kids.

If you live in the UK it is worth signing up to use the 999 SMS service. Handy for when you are in crap signal zones aka Wales.

NiHaoMike:

--- Quote from: mendip_discovery on June 24, 2023, 10:50:53 am ---I saw a bit on the TV about this and they seemed rather vague as they said there was an increase in silent calls and they think it may be due to the Android feature. They won't mention the Apple feature, https://support.apple.com/en-gb/HT213225 that calls if it believes you have had an accident.

--- End quote ---
Apple was known for accidentally DDOSing 911 with their well intentioned crash detection feature.
https://www.theverge.com/2023/1/10/23547137/apple-iphone-crash-detection-emergency-sos-watch-snowboarding-skiing
MK14:

--- Quote from: thm_w on June 23, 2023, 11:20:38 pm ---It should absolutely be disabled by default or require the user to install an addon, its ridiculous. In some cases you can't easily disable the functionality.
Sure you may unexpectedly need to use it, but, who would know what the button sequence is if they never ever set it up to start with?

I had this happen in the middle of the night years ago, had to call them back just in case, to let them know it was a false call. It says Android 12 but I'm sure manufacturers had it prior to this: https://www.androidpolice.com/2021/02/18/android-12-adds-emergency-sos-with-five-taps-of-the-power-button/

--- End quote ---

It maybe should even have a regular reminder, perhaps every 2 weeks or monthly, that needs to be clicked to cancel the warning message.  Both that this feature has been enabled, and a brief description/reminder as to what it does.

I'd be very annoyed, and maybe scared, if I was playing with a phone late at night, trying to find a short cut or something.  Then accidental (easily done, in my opinion), pressed the power button (or relevant button in this case), 5 times in succession.

Then as a result the Police turn up (or whatever happens, when this silent emergency feature gets activated).

Perhaps this feature needs to be done with more settings and/or app like features, e.g. give it an on screen icon.  So that it can have extra options, such as OPTIONAL warning messages, and perhaps other optional protection features.

The new options could include features to still keep this silent emergency feature fairly discreet, to keep it from prying eyes, if someone else, quickly examines the phone in question.  E.g. A wife having troubles with an ex-husband.
MK14:

--- Quote from: mendip_discovery on June 24, 2023, 10:50:53 am ---I saw a bit on the TV about this and they seemed rather vague as they said there was an increase in silent calls and they think it may be due to the Android feature. They won't mention the Apple feature, https://support.apple.com/en-gb/HT213225 that calls if it believes you have had an accident. I get the feeling it was a reminder for people not to prank call and if they accidentally call to remind people to say I am ok just an accidental call. But as it's gone along the editors have zoned in on the android technology is the scary thing, I am shocked there was no mention of AI. The hot weather means people are out doing stuff and that causes a lot of calls to 999 so they are very busy so these stories come out each year.

I would like to see the Data or at least some summary. I wonder how many are the standard accidental calls, and the kids being kids.

If you live in the UK it is worth signing up to use the 999 SMS service. Handy for when you are in crap signal zones aka Wales.

--- End quote ---

Thanks.  I hadn't heard of the '999 SMS service', that sounds interesting.

These days (as you seem to be hinting or touching on), these news stories, can be too watered down, and/or the author can be less than a technical expert themselves.  So, the articles can end up being very misleading.

Also not so common knowledge (I think), is that some (possibly all, via an EU mandate,  vaguely remember, not sure if it got passed in the end), recent/new cars.  Can/will phone the emergency services in a crash, automatically, for the EU (not sure if it includes the UK, i.e. did the UK follow the same EU laws, in that case).
I know it has been an available option for some cars, for a while now.

I suppose as AI gets further and further developed.  Phones may one day, watch over what is happening, and then automatically phone the emergency services, as and when necessary.  I think some existing ones (phones, perhaps iPhone ones), detect falls (presumably via the gyro and accelerometer sensors), and can phone the emergency services, when that happens, already.

So, ultimately, when the technologies are well developed, some time in the future.  These mechanisms of automatically (or on request), phoning the emergency services, can be a good thing.
magic:
:wtf:

How is Google not fined for this?
Navigation
Message Index
Next page
Previous page
There was an error while thanking
Thanking...

Go to full version
Powered by SMFPacks Advanced Attachments Uploader Mod