Recently, Google declared a brand-new voiceless emergency operator option for Pixel and additional Android phones nowadays, a feature that may allow those who are either injured, in a dangerous condition, or have a speech impairment to induce the medical, police, or fire emergency help they need.
“The feature would first reach Pixel phones and would later be rolled out to other Android phones as well,” Paul Dunlop, Product Manager, Google, wrote in a blog post on Thursday.
Tapping on the “Medical,” “Fire” or “Police” buttons during an emergency call can convey the kind of emergency to the operator through an automated voice service. That service works on the device, which implies the information remains between you and emergency services, and therefore the service functions whether or not you have a data connection. After you activate the service, you can always communicate directly to the operator as well.
Along with the details you provide, your location is also transmitted to the operator, via both GPS on the phone and a caller’s plus code. “Your location, which comes from your phone’s GPS, is often already shared with the operator when you make a 911 call. This new feature provides similar location details through the machine-controlled voice service, alongside the caller’s plus code, which is another reliable way to help emergency services accurately locate them,” Dunlop added. This feature would become available in the US over the coming months, starting with Pixel phones. Details on the wider expansion of the feature remain undisclosed.
The service would work despite a data connection and once the service is activated, users would be able to speak directly to the operator.
