Q: New Emergency SOS location services IOS 10

Most phones don't let you turn off location services for Enhanced 911 so, I'm not certain that's what the switch is for. All phones sold in the U.S. for the last decade (give or take) have had been set up so that if you call the emergency services number (911), the dispatchers will be able to see where you are. This is so they can send the police, fire or ambulance to the correct location even if you don't know where you are.

Edit: It's for the new Emergency SOS on the Apple Watch:

About SOS on Apple Watch - Apple Support

To my knowledge, that is for use with the Apple Watch and the ability to quickly contact emergency services with the SOS button on the watch.

Applethebest1 wrote:

 

But I live in the UK so but as far as i know in the uk emergency services "ask" for your location is this just a new feature now ???? As i would be a life changer if its possible

See the edit. It has nothing to do with emergency services being able to track you. It's about the watch function.

And, in the U.K., even though they ask, I bet they can see your location.

I spent 30 years as a law enforcement officer in the US. I know that with the advent of enhanced 9-1-1 services, location tracking was in its infancy. With the implementation of wireless 9-1-1 services, the ability to track a wireless device user started to become easier. Tracking started with triangulation in cell towers, and then was enhanced by network and GPS information. Most enhanced 9-1-1 services that can handle Phase 3 calls can pinpoint your location, without any verbal cues, to within 5 meters. That is the current requirement.

Do you happen to know if the U.K. has a similar system?

As far as I know right now, they do have a wireless enhanced system, but I couldn't really comment on its implementation. Probably like the US, it isn't country wide, and some places have better deployment than others. There are still places in the US where the PSAP (Public Safety Answering Point), which is a fancy word for the 9-1-1 center, does not handle all wireless calls, or does not handle the highest grade. They are in Phases, from 0, 1, 2, & 3. It goes from just having a wirless 9-1-1 call go to the center, to getting caller ID, to getting caller ID with location information. Problems are that the PSAPs are all individual, do not get adequate funding, and despite everyone thinking that 9-1-1 is universal, it still isn't, especially for wireless. You would be surprised by the cost of the equipment to handle these calls, and the surcharge that 9-1-1 systems charge on your phone bill are not adequate, and the amounts are regulated by the legislature, and they don't provide additional funding. But then, don't get me started on that. I was the project manager for the changeover of our PSAP from Enhanced 9-1-1 for wireline calls to wireline and wireless Phase 3. Last little tidbit of information, each cellular tower, and each face of the antenna on each cellular tower has to be assigned responsibility of a PSAP, working with each wireless provider. It will drive you crazy, especially since a call that is not really from your area might be picked up by a tower in your area. We had calls from the Chicago tollways reach our PSAP, and we are well over 100 miles west of Chicago.

Wow! I actually do find it rather interesting.

I know that they're talking about making them all capable of responding to text 911s.

Oh yes, that is another setup as well. That was just getting discussed when I retired 9 years ago. It is quite amazing how it works, and each carrier has a different way of implementing the location services. You would be quite surprised. Despite how stressful it was during the change, I enjoyed it, knowing what I was doing was benefiting the community.

Hopefully, I will never be kidnapped, end up in the trunk of a car and really need it.

Let's hope that is true. Have a great afternoon.