Android's Emergency SOS feature causes accidental calls to 911

In 2021 Google introduced the Emergency SOS function in Android 12 as a way to help users in emergencies. The feature, which calls 911 if the Power button is pressed five times, has recently caused more trouble than good.

According to recent reports, this function has been causing a lot of accidental calls to emergency services, probably linked to an Android update which turned on Emergency SOS.

In a recent tweet, the Ontario Provincial Police has asked Android users to turn off the Emergency SOS feature to prevent unintentional calls. The tweet also provided instructions on how to turn it off: users can go to Settings Safety & emergency Emergency SOS to disable the function.

Android users are urged to do it in order to avoid accidental calls to 911, which can result in delayed response times for actual emergencies, and help ensure that the emergency system is available for those who need it the most.