We saw it hinted in an APK Teardown, now, Google has announced a new emergency calling feature for the Phone app that will come to a select number of Android devices, including Pixels. It will let users indicate if they need police, fire, or medical assistance without the need to physically say so. The company envisions this new feature to be essential in situations where the caller isn't able or might not want to talk.

Once you've dialed 911 and have connected to a call center, you will be able to see a dialog box of information featuring your estimated address (extracted from GPS or cellular triangulation) as well as three buttons you may press: Medical, Fire, and Police.

After pressing an option, an automated voice service — much like the one that screens calls for existing Pixel users and a little like the Duplex reservation service — will tell the dispatcher that you, the caller, may not be able to speak to or hear them, then disclose your address as estimated by Google, your plus code — Google's relatively new coordinate standard — and what assistance you're requesting. You're able to see the script on-screen as it is being read. If you're able to, you can choose to talk with the operator after the automated voice completes the script.

Google is working with the National Emergency Number Association as well as other public safety groups to test the system out and train call centers on what to do. Already, we can think of a few changes that might need to go in like the ability for the voice to repeat certain details if necessary.

Pixel phones should receive this feature first. A select few models from other OEMs will also see this in the next few months.

Source: Google