4 ms·

Nexus One in trigger-happy 999-dialling

13 points by Roridge 17y ago

pierrefar 17y ago
How did Google "test" this feature, and how on Earth (literally) did it pass these tests?
- deleted 17y ago
  [deleted]
- notauser 17y ago
  It's common to set systems up so that any emergency numbers dialed go to the local emergency number. Our dialing plan directed at least 112, 911 and 999 that way, I'm not sure about the others. A combination of trying to do the right thing and liability issues means that you tend to be over caution when trying to work out if something should be an emergency call. Even though it's really expensive for the carrier it's better to do that than fail to connect a real call. There's also the issue of testing, and putting the same emergency rules on every handset means that you remove one failure point from the chain (making sure the right software version is shipped to the right country).
  - Frazzydee 17y ago
    In Toronto simply dialing "9" on a POTS will (apparently) connect you to emergency services. This is especially stupid since 905 is an area code. My sister once dialed "9", and stopped when she realized she forgot the rest of the number. We didn't believe her until I unplugged the line and hit redial.
epochwolf 17y ago
Great, 12 more ways for your phone to dial emergency numbers in your pocket with the keys locked. I thought auto-dailing 911 with locked keys was bad enough.
epochwolf 17y ago
Summary: The nexus one will dial the local emergency number when a call is placed to 911, 112, 999, 000, 08, 118, 111, 120, 122, 110, 119, 995, or 0800 after a January firmware update. The problem is 0800 is the prefix for toll-free dailing (1-800 in the US) and 111 will forward you to your voicemail for "O2's GiffGaff brand". This has resulted in a number of accidental emergency calls. The UK emergency number is 999 and 112 (EU) and 911 (US) forward to that.
mmagin 17y ago
All my old phones had stupid features which caused them to accidentally dial 911 about once a year while bouncing around my pocket. One of the greatest things about the iPhone is that it doesn't seem to have this propensity.

13 points by Roridge 17y ago

pierrefar 17y ago

How did Google "test" this feature, and how on Earth (literally) did it pass these tests?

deleted 17y ago
[deleted]
notauser 17y ago
It's common to set systems up so that any emergency numbers dialed go to the local emergency number. Our dialing plan directed at least 112, 911 and 999 that way, I'm not sure about the others. A combination of trying to do the right thing and liability issues means that you tend to be over caution when trying to work out if something should be an emergency call. Even though it's really expensive for the carrier it's better to do that than fail to connect a real call. There's also the issue of testing, and putting the same emergency rules on every handset means that you remove one failure point from the chain (making sure the right software version is shipped to the right country).
- Frazzydee 17y ago
  In Toronto simply dialing "9" on a POTS will (apparently) connect you to emergency services. This is especially stupid since 905 is an area code. My sister once dialed "9", and stopped when she realized she forgot the rest of the number. We didn't believe her until I unplugged the line and hit redial.

epochwolf 17y ago

Great, 12 more ways for your phone to dial emergency numbers in your pocket with the keys locked. I thought auto-dailing 911 with locked keys was bad enough.

epochwolf 17y ago

Summary: The nexus one will dial the local emergency number when a call is placed to 911, 112, 999, 000, 08, 118, 111, 120, 122, 110, 119, 995, or 0800 after a January firmware update. The problem is 0800 is the prefix for toll-free dailing (1-800 in the US) and 111 will forward you to your voicemail for "O2's GiffGaff brand". This has resulted in a number of accidental emergency calls. The UK emergency number is 999 and 112 (EU) and 911 (US) forward to that.

mmagin 17y ago

All my old phones had stupid features which caused them to accidentally dial 911 about once a year while bouncing around my pocket. One of the greatest things about the iPhone is that it doesn't seem to have this propensity.