Minnesota’s top prosecutor is urging Google to address a software update on its cellphones that has resulted in unintended 911 calls. According to Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, the state’s 911 centers have been overwhelmed with accidental emergency calls since the update to Google’s Emergency SOS feature. Ellison has written a letter to Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai, emphasizing the strain this issue is causing on their already understaffed centers and calling for an immediate resolution.
In his letter, Ellison cites examples of cities like Minneapolis and Anoka County that have experienced a significant increase in inadvertent calls, as well as the impact on smaller call centers in Greater Minnesota. This problem has also been observed in Europe, with police departments in Scotland and England reporting a surge in 999 calls due to the same software update.
Ellison revealed that some 911 centers are receiving calls from Android phone users who inadvertently activated the Emergency SOS feature without realizing it. He provided an example of a motorcyclist who unknowingly triggered the feature by storing their wireless phone equipped with Google’s Android mobile operating system in their motorcycle’s saddlebag. Ellison is also urging Minnesotans to redial the dispatcher if they accidentally call 911 to avoid unnecessary emergency responses.
The Emergency SOS feature was first introduced on Google’s Pixel cellphone in 2021 and subsequently added to other Android-powered devices. It can be activated by pressing the side button three times, with the option to disable it in the phone’s settings menu. As of now, Alphabet, Google’s parent company, has not responded to requests for comment.
A Google spokesperson informed the BBC that mobile phone manufacturers offering the Emergency SOS feature are responsible for managing how it operates on their devices. Android is providing guidance and resources to these manufacturers to prevent unintentional emergency calls, and updates addressing this issue are expected to be rolled out soon. In the meantime, users experiencing this problem are advised to disable Emergency SOS temporarily.
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