Items tagged with 911

Do you have Microsoft's Teams installed on your Android 10+ phone? If so, make sure you are signed in—and if you can't or don't want to sign in, uninstall it immediately. Google and Microsoft have identified an issue in the Teams app that can break parts of recent versions of Android, including and most critically the... Read more...
One of the features Apple is rolling out with its iOS 12 update for iPhone users is better location sharing when calling 911. The company says iPhone users in the United States will be able to automatically and securely share their location data with first responders after applying the update, enabling emergency... Read more...
It appears that Apple has a bit of a problem on its hands when it comes to one of its repair centers. The repair facility, which is located in Elk Grove, California, has reportedly made 1,600 "false alarm" phone calls from its location since October 2017. To put that in perspective, 911 operators have been fielding as... Read more...
With large numbers of people around the country ditching landlines and now only using mobile devices, getting fast and accurate location information from a mobile device for 911 services is a major concern. Google has been testing a system that aims to get your location data to 911 operators more quickly and with... Read more...
Earlier this week, we learned of a troubling bug that was afflicting some OnePlus 5 owners. When trying to report an emergency by dialing 911 (or 999 in the UK), a user’s phone would instead reboot instead of being put through to a dispatcher. Although the issue doesn’t affect every OnePlus 5 user, it’s a dangerous... Read more...
Getting in contact with emergency services can be a matter of life and death, which is why it is incredibly easy for citizens to get in contact with dispatchers. Most countries provide a three-digit number that can be quickly dialed, with most everyone recognizing “911” for emergency services in the United... Read more...
Many of us take our smartphones for granted. We have them with us at all times and they can be used to keep us connected with every aspect of our lives from family to work to leisure activities. The ubiquity of our smartphones also means that they are indispensable when an emergency arises, and dialing 911 is just a... Read more...
This situation seems like something that you could only imagine in your most intense nightmares. Imagine being in the frantic situation where you need to dial 911 due to a life-threatening emergency, but can’t actually get through. After AT&T experienced a massive 911 service outage last week, we can now sadly report... Read more...
If you listened to rap music in the early 1990s, you undoubtedly heard Flava Flav spit rhymes to "911 is a Joke," the song he is most famous for. However, it was no laughing matter when mobile phone users subscribed to AT&T's wireless service were unable to call 911 emergency dispatchers in more than a dozen states on... Read more...
Everyone hates a backseat driver. You know, the person that’s looking over your shoulder, keeping an eye on your speed and pointing out everything “wrong” that you’re doing behind the wheel. Well, given how much technology that is being crammed into automobiles these days, it’s not human passengers that we have to... Read more...
Apple's Siri has long been fodder for tales of the miscommunications variety, most of them laced with humor of one ilk or another. The latest reported Siri easter egg, though, fails to bring the funny, and instead results in an immediate and very serious call to the cops. Recent posts on Facebook, Twitter, and in... Read more...
It's best not to let the actions of a relative few be viewed as a reflection of society as a whole, otherwise we might as well throw in the towel and call it a day. Why? On Friday, Facebook went down in some areas for a period of time. It's annoying when that happens, but it took a new level of idiocy for some Los... Read more...
Imagine that you're a 911 dispatcher and you receive a text message that reads, "OMG, sned hlp nao! Its an emergency! no joke, lol!" That's something emergency responders are going to have to figure out, because as of now, all four major wireless carriers in the U.S. -- Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, and Sprint -- are offering text-to-911 service... Read more...
Ever wonder what would happen if you texted some incomprehensible message to "911?" If you're a resident of Black Hawk Co. in Iowa, you'll probably get some attention--pronto! This week, an emergency call center in the basement of the county jail in Waterloo, Iowa became the first call center in the United States to... Read more...
The U.S. Consumer Products Safety Commission (USCPSC) has issued a recall notification for 30,000 LG 830 "Spyder" cell phones because of an incident in which the phone was unable to maintain a connection when a motorist attempted a 911 call. Incidents/Injuries: The firm has received one report of a motorist in a disabled car who was able to... Read more...