The full version of this article, along with thousands like it, can be found here: Google’s Pixel smartphones get Fast Emergency Dialler

Google is rolling out the new fast Emergency Dialler to its Pixel smartphone models. With the feature, you’ll be able to access local contact information for police, fire, and medical services quickly.

The Mountain View-based company explained the new feature on a Support page. The company says, “You can quickly dial emergency services while on your phone, even when it’s locked.” That’s useful for when you’re home, but the feature also works when you’re traveling, as it finds emergency numbers automatically based on your location.

In the majority of western nations, people are accustomed to dialling 911 (in the US), or 999 (for the UK) being the number of emergencies, but as you travel around the world, that number isn’t always the same. If you’re in an emergency, the last thing you want to do is waste time trying to figure out what number to call the police, fire brigade, or ambulance.

Pixel users can use this new feature while their phone is locked. Once enabled, you can swipe up and tap “Emergency call” without unlocking your phone. You can also press the power button for five seconds and then tap “Emergency.”

There have been a ton of new features and functionality added to smartphones over the past decade, but few can actually save your life. This is one of those rare updates that can actually be the difference between life and death, especially for travellers. To enable the feature, Google are directing users to their support page for instructions. Once there, Google has created a short video tutorial.

The team at Platform Executive hope you have enjoyed this article. Automatic translation from English to a growing list of languages via Google AI Cloud Translation. Reporting by Rob Phillips.

You can stay on top of all the latest developments across the platform economy, find solutions to your key challenges and gain access to our problem-solving toolkit and proprietary databases by becoming a member of our growing community. For a limited time, our subscription plans start from just $16 per month.

This article was published by Platform Executive, the home of the platform economy.

If you enjoy the content then please post a link on your website, or share on social media to help us get the word out.