Android users will soon be able to stream live video to 911 dispatchers during an emergency or crisis. Google has reportedly begun rolling this feature out to a few regions around the globe, noting that it will be available for users who have devices running on Android 8 or later . At this point, that’s a large majority of Android users, which means most Android users will probably have access if they live in a supported region. The live video feature was initially spotted back in September.
The feature has to be activated by the emergency responder and cannot be initiated by the user. Meaning, they need to be on a call with the emergency responder first. If the responder deems it necessary, they can enable the live video stream, and the user can choose to stream the video. While users won’t be able to initiate these streams, they can end the video stream at any point. So users do have some control. Emergency Live Video, as Google officially calls it, can be initiated both during emergency calls and emergency texts. These videos are also encrypted by default for security purposes.
Only Android users in a few regions can stream video to 911
While this seems like a pretty useful feature to have, it won’t be available everywhere initially. Google has confirmed that users in the US, as well as in Mexico and Germany, will start to see this capability available from this week. Google plans to roll it out elsewhere, but it doesn’t have a timeline for that. The company says it’s currently working with public safety organizations around the world to expand the feature’s availability .
If you happen to be in an emergency situation and end up on a call or in a text conversation with your region’s emergency services, you will see an alert pop up on your phone requesting the live video stream if the responder you’re talking to decides that it could be of use and determines that it’s safe to share the video. Naturally, users are not required to share live video if this request is made, but it would probably be the smart thing to do if the situation is safe enough.
