Android M Has An Expanded Emergency Dialing Feature

Android Marshmallow is not just “soft and sweet,” as its name suggests, but it also packs a punch—on your behalf, if need be: It rolls out with an enhanced method for dialing emergency numbers.

All Android versions come packed with an emergency number dialing system. In fact, even the old GSM phones before the smartphone became mainstream, was packed with that function. But Android M takes the emergency number dialing to a higher level: As the caller dials the emergency number, a GPS map of the caller’s location will pop up, giving them their exact location.

While that feature is already so cool, the bigger implication of that is that the caller, who may be under extreme stress, would then be able to better articulate their location, so that they can specifically dictate to the emergency responder where they are located.

As Android Police points out, most, if not all callers who try to reach emergency numbers are most likely under extreme stress. Being under extreme stress may cause them to feel confused and too distressed to be able to detail their locations, let alone illustrate, via dictation, how to get to where they are. And while modern E-911 systems in the US should show the dispatchers and responders the caller’s location, it would always be helpful for the caller to be able to communicate their exact areas themselves. With a GPS map readily available on the screen, it will be easier for the caller to direct the responding team to their location. Pretty handy, especially in moments where the caller would most likely be too agitated to remember important details.

This feature would most likely be 100% functional in the US, though the screenshot that Android Police was able to get a hold of was from a Pakistani Android M user. Hopefully, networks in countries across the globe would be able to leverage this excellent new feature of the Android M. This way, emergency calling and response would be more efficient, and a better service to Android users.

News scoped from Michael Crider’s [Android M Feature Spotlight] Emergency Calls Automatically Display The Nearest Contact Center And Your Current Location on Android Police.