In the United Kingdom, the rumble swells on the side of emergency call centers. For several months, the authorities have noticed a significant increase in calls made by mistake. An increase attributed to the latest Android update, which made these calls easier for users… even if they made it without realizing it.
Emergency calls are popular right now with smartphone manufacturers. After their arrival on iPhone, Android smartphones are also entitled to this feature, especially since the deployment of the Snapdragon Satellite solution. Apparently, the latter is extremely important, since it allows emergency calls to be made in all circumstances. But it can also be very disabling for the emergency services.
In the United Kingdom in particular, the situation is slowly beginning to exasperate the authorities. At the microphone of the BBC, the Council of National Police Chiefs indicates that “all emergency services are currently registering a record number of calls at 999″, the emergency number across the Channel. For the body, there is no doubt: “There are several reasons for this, but we believe that one of them has a significant impact, namely the updating of Android smartphones. »
On the same subject — iPhone 14: you can now make emergency calls by satellite in France
The number of fake emergency calls explodes because of Android 13
The update mentioned by the Council is none other than Android 13, which arrived in final version with users in August 2022. With this update, users have a very simple and quick solution to call for help . Unfortunately, it often happens that they dial 999 without realizing it. This Sunday, June 18 alone, Devon police say they received 169 silent calls.
Confronted by the BBC, Google retorts that it is up to smartphone manufacturers to ensure that emergency calls cannot be made by mistake. “To help these manufacturers avoid unintended emergency calls on their devices, Android is providing additional guidance and resources”, said a spokesperson. Also, if you realize too late that you have called an emergency call center by mistake, do not hang up: by taking the time to explain the situation, you will save precious time for the emergency services.
Source : BBC
