UK Police Report Epidemic of False Emergency Calls from Android Devices

Police in the UK are reporting an epidemic of false emergency calls, largely due to an Android feature. The National Police Chief’s Council (NPCC) has revealed that Android’s Emergency SOS feature can prompt the device to call 999 when the power button is pressed five times or more, which can happen accidentally in one’s pocket or bag. This results in silent calls to the emergency services, where operators can’t hear anyone on the line. These calls require operators to call the number back and check whether help is actually needed, wasting valuable time. Devon and Cornwall Police revealed that handling silent calls need 20 minutes to be dealt with. On Sunday alone, the station received 169 silent calls between 00:00 and 19:00. The emergency feature has increased response times, and as a result, the NPCC is urging Android users to turn off the Emergency SOS feature. Despite Google developing the software that causes the false emergency calls, device manufacturers are responsible for managing the feature, and the NPCC expects them to release an update shortly to address the issue.