Google launched its Emergency Location Service (ELS) in India on Tuesday for Android devices, a potentially life-saving feature that automatically shares a user’s “precise location” with emergency services during a call or text. Uttar Pradesh is the first state in the country to fully implement the service for Android users. The feature has been available on Android 6.0 and newer versions, but required state-level integration to activate.
How Google’s ELS Service Works
the tech giant explained that ELS on Android smartphones will help users send their location via call or SMS to emergency responders, including police, medical personnel, and firefighters. Google states that ELS utilizes data from the device’s GPS, wi-Fi, and cellular networks to pinpoint a user’s location with an accuracy of up to 50 meters.
Though, the ELS feature hinges on support from local wireless carriers and emergency infrastructure. In India, Uttar Pradesh has taken the lead, “fully” operationalizing the service for Android devices. The state police, working with Pert Telecom Solutions, has integrated ELS support with the emergency number 112.The service is free of charge and onyl tracks location when 112 is dialed from an Android phone.
The company also noted that the ELS functionality was rolled out to all compatible devices running Android 6.0 and later. To date, ELS on Android has facilitated over 20 million calls and SMS messages, even in cases where a call is dropped shortly after being answered. ELS is powered by Google’s machine learning-based Android Fused location Provider.
Google emphasizes that the feature is exclusively available to emergency service providers and that ELS does not collect or share precise location data with the company itself.Location data is sent directly to the relevant authorities.
Recently, Google introduced the Emergency Live Video feature for Android devices, allowing users to share a live camera feed with responders during an emergency call or text.Though, the emergency service provider must request access to the video feed, and a prompt appears on the user’s screen for approval. With a single tap,a user can grant access and provide a visual feed.
