Google has announced a new partnership with emergency technology company RapidSOS to allow US Android users to text 911 in emergencies using its rich communication services (RCS) protocol. This new feature will allow Android users to send a text message for emergency help when calling 911 is not possible. The text messaging feature will provide precise location information to emergency services and allow users to send high-resolution photos and videos.
Text to 911 will be available to US Android device owners who use Google Messages, and because it’s a feature built into RCS, it could potentially expand to other devices like the iPhone in the future. Apple also plans to adopt RCS later this year to replace SMS/MMS.
The option to text 911 through RCS will be rolled out to emergency call centers across the United States starting this winter. While some places already allow text messaging to 911 via SMS, not all emergency call centers support this technology. Google aims to bring text messaging to every call center and improve the ability to send photos and videos with RCS. With this new feature, users will benefit from confirmation that an emergency request has been submitted and viewed, the ability to see if a first responder is responding to a message, options to send high-resolution photos and videos, and the ability to share precise location, language settings, and voluntary medical information.
Google is working with partners across the industry to expand access to emergency services through RCS and aims to make it the standard for texting emergency services everywhere.
In other tech news, some AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon customers are experiencing issues with calls, with reports of outages on social media and Down Detector’s website. Apple is set to unveil iOS 18 with new features for the iPhone, and the first beta should be available to developers next week. However, some AI features in iOS 18 may not work on older iPhones. Apple will also introduce larger iPhone sizes with the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max.
A Nintendo 3DS emulator for iPhone has been released on the App Store, but users should be aware of some warnings. The popular Bartender app for Mac has been sold to a new owner, raising concerns about transparency. Additionally, Netflix will end support for second- and third-generation Apple TV models starting July 31, 2024, to focus on devices that can support the latest features and updates.
Article Source
https://www.macrumors.com/2024/06/06/google-rcs-text-911/