Tag: Emergency SOS

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Mobile Syrup

OPP says Androids could be behind 911 hang-ups

The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it has seen a “significant increase” in 911 calls being hung up, and it might be due to Android’s inclusion of Emergency SOS.

The feature allows Android users to contact emergency services when they press the power button five times.

But now, the OPP is asking Android users to turn the feature off, stating people “could easily dial 911 without knowing.”

This isn’t the first incident that has seen a smartphone mistakenly call 911 services. Several reports show that Apple’s crash detection feature has led to false calls to emergency services. In some cases, the feature was triggered when people were riding roller coasters.

Android users can turn Emergency SOS off by going to Settings> Safety & emergency> turn off the toggle next to Emergency SOS.

Source: OPP Via: Android Police 

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Mobile Syrup

Qualcomm to take on Apple’s Emergency SOS with Snapdragon Satellite

At CES 2023, Qualcomm announced Snapdragon Satellite, a two-way smartphone messaging solution. The service will start with devices based on Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 Mobile Platform.

The feature relies on the Snapdragon 5G Modem-RF systems and the Iridium satellite constellation. Qualcomm said in a press release that the solution uses Iridium’s weather-resilient L-band spectrum for uplink and downlink. Qualcomm also plans to support 5G Non-Terrestrial Networks (NTN) as it becomes available.

Qualcomm plans for emergency messaging on Snapdragon Satellite to be available in select regions in the second half of 2023.

Moreover, Qualcomm says Snapdragon Satellite can expand to other devices, including laptops, tablets, vehicles, and IoT.

Snapdragon Satellite appears to be Qualcomm’s attempt to take on Apple’s Emergency SOS feature that launched on the iPhone 14. Emergency SOS came to Canada in November, and it has already proven helpful in the U.S., helping save a stranded snowmobiler and people who fell into a canyon.

You can find all of our coverage from CES 2023 here.

Image credit: Qualcomm

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Mobile Syrup

Apple’s Emergency SOS satellite infrastructure launches in Canada later this month

Apple is launching its Emergency SOS service in Canada and the U.S. later this month. The company is investing a significant amount of money to support its upcoming Emergency SOS service for iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro. Apple says its Advancement Manufacturing Fund is providing the ability for customers to connect to a satellite for emergency services when network services are unavailable.

The Cupertino, California-based company’s investment of roughly $450 million USD (roughly $602 million CAD) is primarily going to Globalstar. The Covington, Louisiana-based company has stations based around the U.S. and operates a global satellite service. Apple’s investment is going toward’s Globalstar’s network and ground stations. These ground stations operate in Nevada, Hawaii, Texas, Alaska, Florida and Puerto Rico. The investment will help ensure iPhone 14 users are able to connect when cellular and Wi-Fi are unavailable.

Earlier this year, Apple unveiled its iPhone 14 and announced Emergency SOS will be supported by Globalstar and its spectrum in L and S bands. These are designed by ITU Radio Regulators and made for mobile satellite services.

In the event that an iPhone 14 user finds themselves without a signal and is in need of assistance, they can send an Emergency SOS request. One of Globalstar’s 24 satellites is able to pick up the request and send it to a ground station. These satellites travel roughly 16,000mp/h (roughly 24,600km/h). Once the ground station receives the request, emergency services are then contacted to dispatch assistance. Alternatively, the message is sent to an Apple-trained emergency specialist. This is in the event that the closest emergency service location is unable to receive text messages at the time.

“The launch of Emergency SOS via satellite direct to iPhone is a generational advancement in satellite communications, and we are proud that Globalstar’s satellites and spectrum assets will play a central role in saving lives,” said Jay Monroe, Globalstar’s executive chairman says in a statement. “With Apple’s infrastructure investment, we’ve grown our teams in California and elsewhere to construct, expand, and upgrade our ground stations, and we look forward to the next chapter in Globalstar’s lifesaving technology.”

Apple states Emergency SOS will be available via an iOS 16 update coming later this month. The service is confirmed to be free for at least two years with the purchase of an iPhone 14. Following this window, Apple may begin charging users for access.

There’s currently no word on when or if Apple plans to expand support of Emergency SOS to other regions around the globe.

Image credit: Apple

Source: Apple

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Mobile Syrup

Apple starts rolling out iOS 15.2 beta for developers

With iOS 15.1 now available globally, Apple has started rolling out the first beta of iOS 15.2 to developers for testing.

Update 15.2 aims to add features that Apple promised with the initial release of iOS 15 but were left out, including “App Privacy Reports.”

The reports tab, according to 9to5mac, was available with older versions of the operating system. However, it didn’t contain any information. Now, developers testing iOS 15.2 say the tab shows information regarding the data accessed by applications on your device, including third-party and Apple applications. The data tracked can be in the form of apps accessing your location, camera, microphone, etc.

Developers can access the App Privacy Report in Settings -> Privacy -> App Privacy Report. You can toggle the feature from here. It’s worth noting that data will only start to appear in this section After you’ve used applications on your device for a while.

iOS 15.2 also brings some changes to the Emergency SOS feature. You can now set Auto Call to make an emergency call by either pressing the side button numerous times or holding the side button and a volume button together. Both of these ways will now show an eight-second countdown, up from the previous three-second countdown.

Image credit: Apple

Via: 9to5Mac