Google Activates ELS Feature for Android Smartphones in India

Credits: Google

Google activated its Emergency Location Service for Android devices in India on Tuesday, with the rollout beginning in Uttar Pradesh to deliver precise location data to first responders during calls to the national emergency number 112.

The feature, available on smartphones running Android version 6.0 and higher, combines signals from GPS, Wi-Fi, cellular networks and device sensors to pinpoint a caller's position, often within 50 meters, and transmits the information directly to emergency services such as police, medical teams and firefighters.

In Uttar Pradesh, the service integrates with the UP Police's 112 helpline through a partnership with Pert Telecom Solutions Pvt Ltd, which handles routing to ensure coordinates reach the appropriate response teams in seconds.

"In an emergency, every second counts. And the most important piece of information for first responders is knowing the location where help is needed," Salvatore Baglieri, global technical account manager for Android Emergency Location Service, said.

The free service activates solely during emergency calls or SMS messages and requires no additional apps or hardware, with locations sent straight from the device to responders while Google avoids collecting or sharing the data.

A pilot test in Uttar Pradesh processed over 20 million calls and messages, including those that disconnected quickly, to refine the system's performance before full activation.

"We have been proud to support first responders in Uttar Pradesh and around the world in their inspiring efforts to help people in their most critical moments. We hope other states across India similarly explore the potential of this technology to further strengthen the life-saving interventions of their local emergency services," Google said.

The technology, first introduced globally in 2016 and now operational in more than 60 countries, includes device language details in transmissions to aid communication.

Google has made a form available for other Indian states and carriers to request implementation of the service.