The Problem With Lock Screen Emergency Call Buttons — TechVirtuosity
The Purpose of Making Emergency Calls
Ideally, in a perfect world the lock screen emergency call feature on our smartphones will save lives. Perhaps it does do that but it also causes a lot of congestion for our emergency response services. Lock screen emergency calls are becoming a problem because of this. Think about it.
In some ways it’s great that the button can be accessed without having to unlock the screen. This ensures that anyone can call emergency services even if you are unconscious, which is good. What isn’t so good is that everyone else can do that too, even unintentionally.
“ Butt dialing “ is when we unintentionally call someone. A lock screen prevents this on our smartphones, but it doesn’t prevent it with emergency calls, in fact, it makes it easier!
But the real question is why do we need to have the button in the first place?
The Legal Side of Things
Many countries either have laws or requirements that manufacturers must give their devices access to emergency services. This means that even with a lock screen people need to be able to use your phone just in case.
India is another country that has mandated an emergency button for all cell phones sold after the 1st of January, 2017. They aren’t the only ones especially as the need arises.
That being said, the laws have some flexibility and don’t necessarily require the current setup. When asked about the current layout, LG said they will pass the concern on to their developers. What does this mean? For the time being it means nothing while we wait and see what manufacturers do.
Many smartphone manufacturers also choose the easy route with the basic emergency call button on the lock screen. While this may be required they could also consider adding additional confirmations. However, as it stands most companies haven’t pursued alternative methods. That is why we have apps that are being made, but they aren’t perfect…
Lock Screen Emergency Call Solutions and Their Problems
With all the above being said, I did try out some of the more popular choices out there. The one I was most pleased with was Hi Locker but even that one failed at times.
These solutions all replace your existing lock screen, which is good and bad. They give you the option to remove the emergency call button and for the most part they do accomplish that. BUT, and it’s a serious big issue, they tend to crash or fail! When that happens you are back to having your default lock screen.
I can’t guarantee you’ll have the same problems but the software is constantly updating. Android and iPhone solutions get outdated or they just don’t work anymore. On top of that they also require a lot of access to your privacy … At TechVirtuosity we consider that a big no no in most cases.
Basically, you are giving away your privacy in hopes of removing the emergency button. However, the app works by deactivating the other lock screen and replacing it. This means that if the app fails you default back to your other lock screen with the emergency button. Sometimes it defaults to no lock at all.
That being said, if you do want to try it out for yourself be sure to check out the following tips!
Replacing Your Lock Screen
Whether you are using Hi Locker or a different lock screen replacement it’s important to research it. Some lock screen replacement apps are scams and are trying to get access to your information. Just like with any other smartphone app you should ask yourself these questions -
- Does the app truly need permission to everything that it says it does?
- Does the app display ads or other sources of revenue?
- Are you familiar with the company or do you know them?
- Are there a lot of positive reviews that sound like real reviews?
Those are just a couple questions to answer when making a decision. Fake reviews are a big part of the scamming business which is why you should read a few of them. They will typically be vague or unrelated to the app/product.
Another thing to consider is how well the company is known. Would you trust them to remove the lock screen emergency call button? It’s a lot of access you are granting for a workaround. Make sure it’s a well known company! It’s fine if they display ads because those apps at least showing their intentions.
An app that makes money upfront is less likely to be a scamming app! But they might still sell your information. You can always reject the permissions they require, but a lock screen app might actually need them. If it’s going to display notifications then you might want it!
Ways to Avoid Butt Dialing
For the time being there are a few solutions. You can get a smartphone carrying case to avoid contact with the power buttons. This will help you avoid double tapping, power buttons or other ways to turn your phone on.
Aside from a carrying case, you can check the settings to decrease the screen sensitivity when at work. This doesn’t guarantee a lot but you could also disable double tap to turn on. For Android you can just go to settings then the general tab and turn off “KnockON”, displayed in the picture below.
On iPhone just go to settings > General > Accessibility and disable “Tap to Wake”. Keep in mind that the software is constantly changing but these methods should stay somewhat similar no matter the version.
The Need for a Choice
While I understand that safety may require easy access to a lock screen emergency call button, not everyone wants one. It’s difficult to not have a choice if your job requires physical activity. Seeing as bumps against your pocket can trigger it this hasn’t given most of us a choice.
Ultimately we are stuck turning our phones off, getting a carrying case or putting our devices aside at work. These are not ideal solutions but hopefully the future will give us a solution that helps everyone. Certainly no one is intentionally wanting to congest emergency services!
Have you ever accidentally hit the emergency call button? Share your comments and experiences below!
Originally published at https://techvirtuosity.com on September 9, 2019.
