Android phones can now send medical data during 911 calls

Some Android users are getting an update that could literally save their lives one day. Android users who have a device with the Personal Safety app can now opt-in to sharing medical information with first responders when calling or texting 911. The feature has been available for iPhone and Apple Watch users since the rollout of iOS 13.5 in 2020.

Android users can add information such as caller name, allergies, emergency contacts and preexisting medical conditions. “This is when the information you put inside your phone becomes useful to 911,” Tenea Reddick, ECC director at Baltimore City Fire Department, said in a statement. “This information is available to use before the dispatch, and before the responders arrive. It saves so much time because we already know what we’re responding to and what we need.” The feature is especially beneficial if the person contacting 911 is unable to communicate.

For now, this feature is only available on Androids with the Personal Safety app, such as the Nothing Phone 1 and the Google Pixel 4 through Google Pixel 8 Pro. Anyone with these devices can enable the new feature by going to the “Your info” section of the …read more