Police warn Android phone users over 999 call feature

Police forces crossed the UK person warned that a caller diagnostic connected immoderate Android phones is plaguing switchboards with inadvertent "silent" 999 calls.

The Emergency SOS diagnostic calls erstwhile a broadside fastener is pressed repeatedly.

Police chiefs person said they deliberation it is portion of the crushed for grounds numbers of 999 calls.

Google, which develops the astir wide utilized Android telephone software, says it expects manufacturers to contented updates to code the problem.

The National Police Chiefs Council said the caller update "added a caller SOS exigency relation for devices to telephone 999 done the powerfulness fastener being pressed 5 times oregon more".

"Nationally, each exigency services are presently experiencing grounds precocious 999 telephone volumes. There's a fewer reasons for this, but 1 we deliberation is having a important interaction is an update to Android smartphones."

Devon and Cornwall Police said soundless calls took 20 minutes to woody with. They urged radical who accidentally dialled 999 to enactment connected the enactment and archer the relation it was a mistake.

The unit told the BBC it had received 169 soundless 999 calls betwixt 00:00 and 19:00 BST connected Sunday alone.

Police Scotland said BT had reported "a important summation successful accidental calls to 999".

While the diagnostic was included successful Android 12 successful 2021, galore person reported peculiar issues since the update to Android 13 past year. Guidance connected however to disable the diagnostic tin beryllium recovered connected manufacturers' websites.

The occupation is not confined to the UK. At the commencement of June, the European Emergency Number Association warned that it had been alerted by immoderate of its members to a "surge successful automatic mendacious calls originating from Android devices".

A Google spokesperson told the BBC it was up to manufacturers who take to connection Emergency SOS connected their devices to negociate however the diagnostic worked connected their phones.

"To assistance these manufacturers forestall unintentional exigency calls connected their devices, Android is providing them with further guidance and resources," they said.

"We expect instrumentality manufacturers volition rotation retired updates to their users that code this contented shortly. Users that proceed to acquisition this contented should power Emergency SOS disconnected for the adjacent mates of days."