During the Google I/O conference last May, Google gave a teaser that a car crash detection feature may soon arrive for Pixel devices. Months later, they’re now rolling out an update to the built-in Emergency Information app and renaming it as “Personal Safety”. While this update doesn’t bring yet the aforementioned feature, it does confirm that it will be coming soon, alongside other safety-related features. What’s not clear though is if it will be just for the Pixel 4 or for all Pixel devices.
As per XDA Developers, the updated description on the now-called Personal Safety app says that the primary purpose of the app is that it “helps you stay safe and connected to first responders and your emergency contacts.” The Car Crash Detection feature will be available and as its name says, it will be able to detect that you’ve been in a car crash and will automatically dial 911 and based on your sensor readings, it should be able to locate you.
How it works is that when it detects you’ve been in an accident, your Pixel will vibrate and play a repeating warning tone. It will ask you to say the word “emergency” to call 911 or cancel if it made a mistake. If you’re unable to speak, there are also buttons you can tap for either. If you choose to call 911, it will ask you to reconfirm just to make sure that is really what you want to do. It may seem repetitive and counterintuitive if you’re really in an emergency but they probably need those safeguards to avoid mistakes.
The changelog also mentions sending your emergency status to your pre-selected contacts. You can create a custom message to send to multiple contacts which includes your location as well. This is a good way to ask for help or to just inform your loved ones about your emergency situation. Hopefully, it’s a pretty easy way to send it so that even if you’re in a precarious situation, you’ll still be able to send your emergency status.
We don’t know yet when these features will actually roll out and if it will be available for all Pixel devices. For now, all we know is that it will only be for users based in the U.S.
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