Google / Elyse Betters Picaro / ZDNET
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ZDNET’s key takeaways
- Android users can now share live video with 911 operators.
- The telecommunicator initiates the request.
- The feature is available on devices with Android 8 or higher.
Calling 911 can be stressful, and effectively communicating details can be tough. A new Android feature aims to fix that problem.
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Starting today, Android users can share live video with 911 telecommunicators, who can then better assess a situation, offer help, or give step-by-step guidance. If you’re calling about a tree that’s fallen across a road, for example, you can show exactly where the tree is. Or, 911 workers might be able to walk someone through CPR until emergency services arrive.
How it works
In a blog post announcing the feature, Google called it “simple and secure,” noting that you can start sharing with one tap.
The feature doesn’t require any setup. When you text or call emergency services, if the telecommunicator decides that seeing things would help and it’s safe for you to do so, they can send you a request to share live video. If you tap the prompt, you’ll start sharing secure live video. You can stop sharing at any time.
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RapidSOS, who partnered with Google to deploy the feature, added that in addition to helping the caller, this feature also provides situational awareness for first responders, meaning emergency workers are walking into situations better equipped.
Other Android safety features
Emergency Live Video joins other Android safety features like Emergency Location Service, Car Crash and Fall Detection, and Satellite SOS.
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AT&T debuted a version of this same feature earlier this year, but it was limited to certain states. Apple debuted its own version for iPhones, Emergency SOS Live Video, last year.
Availability
All devices with Android 8 or higher and Google Play services, meaning the vast majority of phones, will have access to emergency live video.
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For now, it’s available in the US and parts of Germany and Mexico, but Google says it’s working to bring it to other regions.