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Android’s emergency call shortcut is flooding dispatchers with false calls

arstechnica.com

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Re: Android’s emergency call shortcut is flooding dispatchers with false calls

#131

Post by judge2020 »

rwiggins wrote: post #103
unsignedint wrote: post #90

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I guess this is one of the major down sides of battery not being removeable...

Fortunately, it seems the EU will mandate removable batteries by 2027? Caveat: I haven’t done any research into that besides the headline, so YMMV. https://www.euronews.com/green/2023/06/22/new-eu-law-to-forc...

It's not going to do something like require phones use clips again to hold the back on and hold the battery inside the housing. Apple's self-service repair program might already qualify.

Re: Android’s emergency call shortcut is flooding dispatchers with false calls

#132

Post by liminalsunset »

krzyk wrote: post #35
sowbug wrote: post #11

Possibly related: I've noticed that when I'm in humid weather and I stick my phone into a damp pocket, it basically monkey-tests until I pull it back out again. Flashlight might be on, string of gibberish might be queued up on a text message, etc. I'm normally really good about locking the screen when I'm done, but something with fingerprint or face recognition or lock screen quick actions behaves poorly.

I have the same thing, I tried to disable all functions of my Pixel 4 that would do that. It amazes me that the simplest thing is not done here: if proximity sensor senses your screen is covered - do not enable the screen ever. When I'm jogging my phone sometimes sends texts, runs apps etc, same when I have phone in my pocket. Why don't they use proximity sensor?

Samsung devices appear to use the camera and/or the proximity sensor to display a "Your phone appears to be in a dark place, slide to unlock".

Unfortunately it seems easy to unlock that as well.

The biggest problems I have with this are related to the "raise to wake" and "tap to wake" features that seem to be enabled by default on all the phones I've tried including iOS devices. I think on Pixel it was called "pick up to check phone" or something else like that. Turning these off drastically reduces the number of times the phone turns on in my pocket because the power button becomes the only way to activate the screen.

On Samsung phones you additionally have to turn off a setting under Always-On display so that widgets are turned off and/or cannot receive touches, such as the music app etc.

Re: Android’s emergency call shortcut is flooding dispatchers with false calls

#133

Post by kevin_thibedeau »

judge2020 wrote: post #131
rwiggins wrote: post #103

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Fortunately, it seems the EU will mandate removable batteries by 2027? Caveat: I haven’t done any research into that besides the headline, so YMMV. https://www.euronews.com/green/2023/06/22/new-eu-law-to-forc...

It's not going to do something like require phones use clips again to hold the back on and hold the battery inside the housing. Apple's self-service repair program might already qualify.

We do have a useful invention called the screw. With every phone phablet sized nowadays there isn't a valid argument that they don't have room for waterproofed fasteners.

Re: Android’s emergency call shortcut is flooding dispatchers with false calls

#134

Post by makeitdouble »

andsoitis wrote: post #116
labster wrote: post #101

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Just put it in a Faraday cage. Problem solved.

>> That was a fun night when the dead phone woke up and started dialling 112 repeatedly and there was nothing I could do short of smashing the damn thing with a hammer to stop it. > Just put it in a Faraday cage. Problem solved. Even if I don't have a hammer handy, I could probably find something in the middle of the night to smash the thing. A Faraday cage on the other hand...

I wonder if it shouldn't be a thing we keep handy. Like a foldable Faraday cage (bag ?) big enough to fit a laptop that can be whiped out in case of emergency.

Re: Android’s emergency call shortcut is flooding dispatchers with false calls

#135

Post by presidentender »

When I was a kid in the late 90s, my mom went back to college. She'd put her cell phone in her backpack, and the natural jostling would hit the emergency call button. Eventually the dispatchers called her back and figured out what was happening.

Re: Android’s emergency call shortcut is flooding dispatchers with false calls

#136

Post by sn_master »

I had this happen because I was (still am) using the vent with an adapter to put the phone. One time it slipped and I was trying to adjust it when all of a sudden it called 911. First thing I did when I parked was to disable it as 911 called me twice when I was driving and I couldn't reply the first time.

How's the shortcut useful when nobody has an idea it even exists except those who stumble upon it by mistake?!

Re: Android’s emergency call shortcut is flooding dispatchers with false calls

#137

Post by sn_master »

danpalmer wrote: post #12

iPhones have exactly the same feature, activated in almost the same way, except that it requires one fewer interactions with the device to trigger, and yet, there's no reporting about this happening too much with iPhones, nor was there any when the feature came out a few years ago. Additionally, this doesn't seem to have been a problem when it rolled out on Pixel devices a year and a half ago, Pixels are certainly co…

> Additionally, this doesn't seem to have been a problem when it rolled out on Pixel devices a year and a half ago, Pixels are certainly common enough for that to become a known issue.

It absolutely was a problem for me and I disabled it. I attach the phone to my car vent with an adapter and it slipped and when trying to adjust it called 911 twice while I was driving (couldn't pick up the first time).

How come such a critical shortcut be so unknown is a mystery to me. I can't imagine anyone ever used it intentionally.

Re: Android’s emergency call shortcut is flooding dispatchers with false calls

#138

Post by zx8080 »

kurthr wrote: post #113
piinbinary wrote: post #105

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I wonder if a microwave is a sufficient Faraday cage to kill cell reception

They did quite well for 3G and even 4G which didn't have as many above 2.4GHz , but after 4GLTE, 5G has added a lot of mid-bands between 2.6-6GHz. Those tend to leak more since they have shorter wavelengths than microwaves are built around 2.4GHz. Some of them are only used in a few countries, but n2 & n77 are widely used by ATT. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LTE_frequency_bands https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/5G_NR_fr…

4GLTE/5G compatible microwave is needed!

Re: Android’s emergency call shortcut is flooding dispatchers with false calls

#139

Post by sneak »

kevin_thibedeau wrote: post #133
judge2020 wrote: post #131

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's not going to do something like require phones use clips again to hold the back on and hold the battery inside the housing. Apple's self-service repair program might already qualify.

We do have a useful invention called the screw. With every phone phablet sized nowadays there isn't a valid argument that they don't have room for waterproofed fasteners.

Screws are how in fact one accesses the battery in an iPhone.

Re: Android’s emergency call shortcut is flooding dispatchers with false calls

#140

Post by sneak »

GeekyBear wrote: post #122
labster wrote: post #101

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Just put it in a Faraday cage. Problem solved.

One of the things I remember from the Snowden reporting is that he had the reporters use a freezer as a Faraday cage for their phones.

No, they used it as acoustic insulation for the microphones and optical insulation for the cameras. The signal blocking, if any, is just a bonus, but isn't to be relied upon.
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