Google Provides RCS Function for Texting 911 – Uplaza

Google right this moment introduced that it’s partnering with emergency know-how firm RapidSOS to permit U.S. Android customers to textual content 911 in emergencies utilizing its Wealthy Communication Providers (RCS) protocol.

When it’s not attainable to name 911, Android customers will be capable to ship a textual content as a substitute to get emergency assist. The texting characteristic will present exact location info to emergency responders, and it’ll let customers ship high-resolution photographs and movies.

Texting 911 will probably be obtainable to U.S. Android machine homeowners who use Google Messages, however as a result of it’s a characteristic baked into ‌RCS‌, it might additionally increase to different gadgets just like the iPhone. Later this yr, Apple plans to undertake ‌RCS‌ to switch SMS/MMS.

The choice to textual content 911 through ‌RCS‌ will roll out to emergency name facilities throughout the US beginning this winter. In some locations, it’s already attainable to textual content 911 over SMS, however not all emergency name facilities help the know-how. Google is aiming to carry texting to all name facilities, and to enhance the flexibility to ship photographs and movies with ‌RCS‌. Google says ‌RCS‌ for emergency 911 texts will carry the next advantages:

• Affirmation that an emergency request has been delivered and considered.
• The flexibility to see if an emergency responder is replying to a message.
• Choices for sending high-resolution photographs and movies to extra precisely relay what is going on on in an emergency state of affairs.
• Exact location sharing, language settings, and opt-in medical info sharing.

Google says that it’s working with “partners across the industry” to increase entry to emergency companies by way of ‌RCS‌, and that it desires to make ‌RCS‌ the “standard for emergency services texting everywhere.”