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posted by Fnord666 on Tuesday June 19 2018, @10:54AM   Printer-friendly
from the marco-polo dept.

This Apple Update Could Prove To Be A True Lifesaver

With about 80 percent of 911 calls made from mobile devices, it's sometimes difficult for emergency responders to pinpoint the location of those callers.

On Monday, Apple unveiled plans to work with 911 centers to automatically share the exact locations of iPhone users that need to call in an emergency.

Under a collaboration with startup company RapidSOS, Apple's current Hybridized Emergency Location system will integrate with 911 centers' existing software. Apple's system uses technology that estimates a phone's location with data from cell towers, GPS and Wi-Fi access points.

The update is expected to roll out later this year as part of iOS 12, the next version of Apple's mobile operating system. Google is testing a similar system for Android-based phones.

Privacy concerns have been at the center of this sort of location sharing in the past. However, Apple said that with the new feature, "user data cannot be used for any non-emergency purpose and only the responding 911 center will have access to the user's location during an emergency call."


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  • (Score: 4, Informative) by frojack on Tuesday June 19 2018, @02:22PM (1 child)

    by frojack (1554) on Tuesday June 19 2018, @02:22PM (#694995) Journal

    So the GP was correct, Android automatically turns on the GPS and makes GPS location available to 911 call centers.

    Another example of Apple late to the party, inventing the perfectly obvious, and calling it new. There is nothing new here. It's been the law of the land for decades, and Android does this automatically.

    The fact that some call centers haven't implemented what they were mandated to implement is merely another failure of government.

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  • (Score: 1) by Kalas on Tuesday June 19 2018, @11:38PM

    by Kalas (4247) on Tuesday June 19 2018, @11:38PM (#695364)

    Well that's a relief to know, because I just assumed all modern GPS-capable phones would push out my location to the dispatcher when calling. I'm all for privacy but calling 911 is the one time I absolutely want the person I'm speaking with to know where I'm at, and share that info as needed.