Android now pinpoints your location when you call the emergency services

NExus 5X

After you've placed a call to the emergency services, the way you describe your location can be the difference between life and death - but Google wants to take away human error and make it easier for the police, ambulance and fire services to find you

Android will now send your location whenever you place a mobile call to the emergency services to help track you down quickly and easily.

It will use Wi-Fi, GPS and cell tower locations to pinpoint your exact location.The location data will never be seen by Google though as it'll go straight to the emergency services.

Useful tracking

It's not limited to the outdoors - if you're in a complicated building or a large indoor arena, for example, it will still be able to work.

The new feature called Emergency Location Service is now available in the UK – and Estonia – but Google hopes to bring the feature to countries around the world.

If you're on BT, EE, O2, Vodafone or Three in the UK and have device with Android 2.3 software or higher you will be supported by the new feature. You'll just need to update Google Play Services first.

According to Google, over 70 percent of calls to emergency services now come from mobile devices so being able to track down those calling quickly and easily may allow the experts to save even more lives.

James Peckham

James is Managing Editor for Android Police. Previously, he was Senior Phones Editor for TechRadar, and he has covered smartphones and the mobile space for the best part of a decade bringing you news on all the big announcements from top manufacturers making mobile phones and other portable gadgets. James is often testing out and reviewing the latest and greatest mobile phones, smartwatches, tablets, virtual reality headsets, fitness trackers and more. He once fell over.