Here are some notes on Android so far having had issues with...

Here are some notes on Android so far having had issues with their SOS/Emergency service transponder, now bear in mind this is only in suburbia but looks like at this stage they cannot guarantee it will work even in built up areas and have had quite a few issues. For all we know Apple may also be patchy, I for one also am only vaguely aware there is an SOS (for suburbia) function already on my iPhone which I think I access by going to power down my phone then slifing right, BUT I would never use this, have zero confidence in it, have never seen Apple really market this feature, it does not seem to appear anywhere on Tesltra's iPhone page for example. The fact Apple do not want to market this existing technology suggests to me it is not built for purpose, an afterthought add on and they are reluctant to pump it as they may know it is not to be relied upon. Possible this new satelite version will be the same, just a useful add on which should work but we cannot guarantee it will and when you are in freezing cold, a storm, side of a rivine, lot of foliage overhead etc, the signal may be too weak to pick up as the antenna is not as strong as a Zoleo. This will always be a major concern of people when it comes to life and death, 30 seconds, 60 seconds add up, and add in the phone vulnerability to damage on top of all this.

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Apparently, buying an iPhone 14 will earn you free 2 years of usage, but Apple hasn’t confirmed the pricing thereafter. Quite absurd to charge for an emergency service, if you ask me. But even so, Apple’s satellite tool is a boon to next-gen iPhone users, especially since it aims to solve one of the scariest problems that Google Pixel owners have had to deal with on several occasions over the past 12 months. Last November, reports came out that a certain Google Pixel 3 running Android 11 and on Verizon carrier was for some reason unable to place an emergency call (911) in the U.S.After investigating, Google established that the issue was caused by having the Microsoft Team app installed, even if not signed into the app, which was kind of bizarre since not everyone affected had the app. Oh, and in response to Google’s response blaming Microsoft Teams… I never had Microsoft Teams. I never got a response from Google, either. Source. The investigation further established that the issue potentially affected an awful lot of other people running Android 10 and above. An update was quickly pushed to the MS Teams app to fix the issue.In July 2022, a similar issue popped up once again affecting the Google Pixel, this time the latest models – Pixel 6 and 6 Pro. Unlike the first issue that was reported in the U.S., this one was from Japan’s SoftBank carrier.Google quickly acknowledged it and even rolled out an update early last month to address this issue.Now, before the dust even settles, we are getting a flurry of new reports of the same issue with making an emergency call on Google Pixel, this time coming from Australia. Besides the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro, the newest Pixel 6a has now joined the party.(Source)Google Pixel 6 still freezes when calling Emergency ServicesSourceWhile some of the reports doing rounds are quite recent, some as recent as last week, a quick look on Reddit reveals that the emergency call issue on some Google Pixel 6 and Pixel 6a units isn’t exactly new in Australia.When I dial emergency services it takes me to a adjusted dialling screen that shows my location and doesn’t appear to actually dial. This was a bona fide emergency and I needed to switch to my wife’s iPhone instead. This is very concerning. I have seen earlier reports but my phone symptoms don’t match the freeze/bootloop, it just didn’t dial through (no dial tones or anything) despite waiting over a minute so I stopped the call and used my wife’s phone. I am based in Australia. Tried dialling 000.Source. Sure, this might not be occurring daily. But we also don’t make emergency calls every day. It is possible this could be a bigger issue than we see it, probably maybe even a wider Android issue. No doubt Google has been quite handy in addressing the issue in the two publicized cases in the U.S. and Japan. The latest concern from Australia is also under investigation, but this isn’t something that can be tolerated anymore.It is scary to think that the only time you need an emergency service is when the phone decides to fail, which is often the worst time. There is no perfect software out there, but there are excusable bugs. A glitch with the volume rocker? No problem, I can live with that. Gmail won’t send notifications for new emails? No problem, I can check them manually. Heck, many have even been putting up with excessive battery drain to date but still haven’t ditched the Pixel 6 or Pixel 6 Pro, even after installing the latest Android 13 update. But for emergency services to keep failing at the exact time they are most needed? That’s totally inexcusable, and Google needs to get this fully addressed at all costs.