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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

#181

Post by Marsymars »

kotaKat wrote: post #118
Marsymars wrote: post #77

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In my city, monitored alarms aren't worthwhile for non-commercial properties. For the police to respond, your alarm has to be registered, and registration requires authorized first responders with keys to confirm that an alarm is false or valid before police are called/dispatched.

Some alarm vendors will offer "video verification" which typically satisfies that requirement in most markets that require it. Many Alarm.com-based vendors (like Surety Home) can enable it on your system.

I’ve read through the city bylaw here, and there doesn’t seem to be any affordance to “video verification”. The only thing that’s easier with a professional company is that if you have a monitored alarm without security staff in the city, you must provide the police with contact info of two authorized keyholders, while you only need to give them the contact info of a single alarm company that’s capable of responding to alarms on a 24/7 basis.

The only notable exception I can see is that monitors of alarms at financial institutions are allowed to contact police directly without sending someone else to investigate first.

It generally feels like the city/police here has decided that alarms are not a thing for the police to deal with, unless it concerns banks.

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

#182

Post by Groxx »

Yeah, that's exactly what I expected would happen when I first accidentally exposed that button on the lock screen. And then it has become more and more easy to trigger with successive versions.

I acknowledge the intention... but I'm not sure it's a net good. And it requires others to bear the costs.

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

#183

Post by Fourier864 »

My wife just did this a few days ago, she was bed ridden with the flu and I was out getting her some medicine.

The police came for a wellness check, and my wife had to talk to them through doorbell camera and explain that she can't come to the door because she was sick and extremely dizzy.

Yeah, that went over about as well as you'd think.

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

#184

Post by phone8675309 »

hypercube33 wrote: post #95
tgsovlerkhgsel wrote: post #92

Phones have and send IMEIs. These include a TAC [1] mapping directly to a phone model. The obvious solution would be to track false (accidental/misdial) calls, and if a phone model exceeds some metric (e.g. 5x the median), start fining/charging the manufacturer. This would quickly cut down on these issues and if not, could at least provide funding to staff it. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Type_Allocation_Code

I mean aren't there a majority who have Samsung and Apple phones so those would be biased to be the top two no matter what?

Sounds like a great way to get Apple to fix iOS and Samsung to stop bastardizing Android.

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

#185

Post by [deleted] »

kneebonian wrote: post #115
janalsncm wrote: post #111

This is one of many reasons we need an FDA for major software suppliers. The idea that a bug can be pushed to billions of devices with essentially no preventative oversight is bonkers to me. The only check (other than internal controls which may or may not work in a move fast and break things environment) is litigation years after the fact which may not be a deterrent anyways. Imagine if pharmaceuticals worked the sa…

If software had to go through the process of the FDA we'd be at the stage where VI was considered groundbreaking, and MS was considered a scrappy startup because IBM convinced regulators that anything but their business was dangerous.

[deleted]

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

#186

Post by linooma_ »

photonerd wrote: post #171
linooma_ wrote: post #158

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A 1-2 hour process which includes heating to soften glue, high potential of damaging internal components, or high potential of cracking some piece of glass is not "Screws are how in fact one accesses the battery in an iPhone." https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/iPhone+14+Battery+Replacement/1...

You’re describing removing the rear glass (and it takes 30mins, tops, I’ve done it). Something that’s not covered by the EU legislation I might add. It literally says the following about removing the battery (emphasis mine) > Unfasten the battery connector cover screws and… > remove the single 1.0 mm-long screw securing the charging coil connector cover After that it’s just two easy to remove adhesive pull tabs to ge…

> You’re describing removing the rear glass (and it takes 30mins, tops, I’ve done it).

And? That just seems to prove ifixit's estimate are accurate.

> It literally says the following about removing the battery (emphasis mine)

AFTER spending 30+ minutes very carefully remove a glass cover (as you even attest to). It isn't simply unscrewing screws as portrayed.

> Complain about how hard it is to get the glass off, fine, but that’s got zilch to do with the EU law

I wasn't commenting on EU law, but how "Screws are how in fact one accesses the battery in an iPhone" is very misleading.

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

#187

Post by Twisell »

kimixa wrote: post #173
peanut-walrus wrote: post #88

I dropped my Pixel in water and since it had previously cracked, it had lost the waterproofing. The water apparently shorted the power button and the screen. 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. Every electronic device needs to have a physical disconnect for the power supply. It…

I had a similar issue - the glass on the back of my Pixel (5 I think?) cracked right by the power button, and it seemed to be kind of OK but I got a new phone anyway, but left the old one in my glove box of my car where I used it for the bluetooth entry to the parking garage at work (and because re-enrolling was a pain). It didn't have the sim setup or wifi enabled so didn't think much of it. This worked fine for a f…

I'v heard from my safety volunteer colleague that damaged (or neglected) lithium-ion powered devices should be regarded as malicious fire hazard.

So unless you actively intend to set your own car on fire I urge you to end this habit and send the broken phone to an adapted recycling procedure.

(This is also why unrelatedly to the many pollution issues, throwing lithium-ion into landfill is like setting up a time bomb for our kids)

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

#188

Post by LoganDark »

hombre_fatal wrote: post #142
bombcar wrote: post #2

I had to disable the shortcuts on my iPhone because the toddler had discovered hold to dial 911 and talk to the nice lady. Luckily I caught it before it became like the other case I heard of, where a kid learned he could get a fire truck to visit anytime he was bored and had a phone.

I start dialing 911 on my iphone when I think I’m turning the volume up but it doesn’t seem to be getting louder. Turns out I pressed the lock button N times and it starts dialing. Years of iphone and I’m still not quick at blindly figuring out which set of buttons I’m touching.

> Years of iphone and I’m still not quick at blindly figuring out which set of buttons I’m touching.

Pro tip: the volume button is much looonger than the power button. That's how I tell them apart, anyway.

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

#189

Post by teberl »

What stands out for me here is the bad update quality of android devices. This feature hits, 18 month after it was introduced, the market in the UK . This is quite shocking to me. I expected a delay on average Android devices, but i thought it would be far less.

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

#190

Post by Kwpolska »

MishaalRahman wrote: post #49
kramerger wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Wait, Google is A/B testing the emergency dial? What the hell is wrong with these people? We are humans, not a data science project.

No, Google is not A/B testing the emergency dialer. What the previous commenter is referring to is a change in Android 12 where, by default, long-pressing the power button no longer brings up the power menu but rather the default Assistant app. Not realizing that the way to bring up the power menu now is to either access it through Quick Settings or press the power + volume up buttons, the previous commenter's friend…

Who thought the power button change is a good idea? Turning off your phone might be rare, but if it's needed, you shouldn't remember some weird gestures. Do people really want to talk to the stupid robot that fails to perform basic tasks, or is this a way to improve metrics?
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