Google Pixel's most dangerous bug: failing to call 911(androidpolice.com)
androidpolice.com
Google Pixel's most dangerous bug: failing to call 911
https://www.androidpolice.com/google-pixels-most-dangerous-bug-refuses-to-die/
57 comments
Dialing 911, it instantly starts calling, and the send button changes to hangup.
I find this kind of crap all over the place in Android - buttons dancing around or changing function so idiotically that it almost feels like my phone is intentionally trying to trip me up.
The designers also seem stuck under an assumption the user is operating in an act-look feedback loop. In reality, good tools let you shift your focus away from them once you become proficient - the mechanics of their use becomes second nature and fades into the background allowing you to focus on your task - exactly the way you found yourself relying on muscle memory in that razor-focused, high stakes situation.
I'm saying this not only as a lifelong tech nerd, but from lived experience as a First Responder (where we routinely deal with high-stress situations, and aim to train with our equipment until it's too familiar to get wrong). It's unconscionable they'd ship such an inconsistent behavior in a function that is at once critical and rarely-exercised.
The problem wasn't you, it was your shoddily designed tool.
I find this kind of crap all over the place in Android - buttons dancing around or changing function so idiotically that it almost feels like my phone is intentionally trying to trip me up.
The designers also seem stuck under an assumption the user is operating in an act-look feedback loop. In reality, good tools let you shift your focus away from them once you become proficient - the mechanics of their use becomes second nature and fades into the background allowing you to focus on your task - exactly the way you found yourself relying on muscle memory in that razor-focused, high stakes situation.
I'm saying this not only as a lifelong tech nerd, but from lived experience as a First Responder (where we routinely deal with high-stress situations, and aim to train with our equipment until it's too familiar to get wrong). It's unconscionable they'd ship such an inconsistent behavior in a function that is at once critical and rarely-exercised.
The problem wasn't you, it was your shoddily designed tool.
> The designers also seem stuck under an assumption the user is operating in an act-look feedback loop
Remember that most of the technology industry today is primarily an ad delivery platform - either current one (aka there are ads there already), or a future one (so even areas where there aren’t ads yet aren’t safe).
Designers want you to always be in an act-look loop, because then you’ll either look at the ad which is already there, or at the very least generate more “engagement” which pumps up their analytics numbers (translates to promotions/salary) and ultimately translates to more ads (the company can now pitch this high-engagement screen real estate to the highest bidder).
The era where computers/technology did things as their primary function appears to be just a happy accident. It’s only a matter of time before you get ads for health insurance while you dial 911.
Remember that most of the technology industry today is primarily an ad delivery platform - either current one (aka there are ads there already), or a future one (so even areas where there aren’t ads yet aren’t safe).
Designers want you to always be in an act-look loop, because then you’ll either look at the ad which is already there, or at the very least generate more “engagement” which pumps up their analytics numbers (translates to promotions/salary) and ultimately translates to more ads (the company can now pitch this high-engagement screen real estate to the highest bidder).
The era where computers/technology did things as their primary function appears to be just a happy accident. It’s only a matter of time before you get ads for health insurance while you dial 911.
The constant A/B tests in Google apps like the Play Store drives me nuts. Buttons constantly changing around which is equal to being gaslit because you are wondering whether you just misremembered where the button was.
New 21 century UI design: "John, you will work on a new project: change the send button in a recording button depending on context and moon phases. Alice, you will also work on a new project: Round the corners of UI elements and increase the space between them, so they are more visible. But everything must fit on one screen, no scrollbars allowed."
I think touch screen itself limits the possibilities to create UIs usable with minimum attention. You have to look at it to find the right area to press. All those buttons, knobs, sliders, etc., imitate the real thing, but only in 2D. Can't rely on feeling to find the right control, unlike with physical designs.
It's not the only culprit, of course. There's still room to at least design a layout that is predictable, and with buttons that are easily reachable.
Some UIs make me think the designer was an alien invader in a human body. It thinks nobody can tell, but when it designs a UI that can only be called "intuitive" if you have 7 fingers, the 2-nd and 5-th longer than the others, and the 3-rd one a tentacle... I got you, motherfucker!
It's not the only culprit, of course. There's still room to at least design a layout that is predictable, and with buttons that are easily reachable.
Some UIs make me think the designer was an alien invader in a human body. It thinks nobody can tell, but when it designs a UI that can only be called "intuitive" if you have 7 fingers, the 2-nd and 5-th longer than the others, and the 3-rd one a tentacle... I got you, motherfucker!
> I think touch screen itself limits the possibilities to create UIs usable with minimum attention.
It has nothing to do with touchscreens. Windows 3.1 UI is thousand times more usable than the crap that is Android and iOS. The UI "designers" decided that everything must be a label and the only menus allowed are the hamburger ones.
It has nothing to do with touchscreens. Windows 3.1 UI is thousand times more usable than the crap that is Android and iOS. The UI "designers" decided that everything must be a label and the only menus allowed are the hamburger ones.
I know it sounds counterintuitive, but I regularly get the feeling that Google doesn't dogfood its products.
For many years I used the stock Android alarm clock and couldn't believe how it was designed.
When the alarm goes off in the morning, I'm half asleep still, my eyes are blurry, and when I look at the phone to snooze the alarm, it has two tiny, tiny, like 15x15 pixel buttons with random icons, no text, on both sides of the screen - one button disables the alarm and the other snoozes.
There's no way in that tired, near blind, state that I could tell or process what I was looking at and would effectively end up just pressing a random button and hoping I remembered by instinct which one was snooze. It really felt like no one had ever actually used/tested the alarm.
In a recent OS update they changed it so that now it has two, much bigger buttons, which clearly state "SNOOZE" and "STOP", they finally changed it, but for all those years it was just atrocious.
When the alarm goes off in the morning, I'm half asleep still, my eyes are blurry, and when I look at the phone to snooze the alarm, it has two tiny, tiny, like 15x15 pixel buttons with random icons, no text, on both sides of the screen - one button disables the alarm and the other snoozes.
There's no way in that tired, near blind, state that I could tell or process what I was looking at and would effectively end up just pressing a random button and hoping I remembered by instinct which one was snooze. It really felt like no one had ever actually used/tested the alarm.
In a recent OS update they changed it so that now it has two, much bigger buttons, which clearly state "SNOOZE" and "STOP", they finally changed it, but for all those years it was just atrocious.
The alarm on / off toggle buttons on the Clock -> Alarm screen also have a tiny hit-zone and if you miss it kindly opens a screen for you to adjust the alarm time. Hit back, try again, miss again...
I just want to turn my alarm off for a lie-in and I have to play button-sniper.
I just want to turn my alarm off for a lie-in and I have to play button-sniper.
They also removed swiping, so that you have to tap a button, and it's throwing me off.
Volume buttons have snoozed alarms in every phone I've ever had. I can find those by feel.
Why would they, just rely on telemetry and data analysis. The users are the testers.
AFAIK there’s a lot of truth to this, there are a good chunk of Google employees with iPhones but less Apple employees with androids
Changing how a normal process works in a rare emergency in order to save a single second, but introducing a potentially dangerous amount of confusion, seems like a terrible design.
It doesn't even need to be a tradeoff. Call immediately, but require a double or triple press to hang up (to account for accidental dialing; a user will naturally tap multiple times until it hangs up).
I think it would be okay if it was a highlighted feature shown to the user during set up or a dismissible notification every month or so instead of a surprise when calling.
I hope you're joking, the last thing I want is pop-ups in my phone app. If the issue being solved is someone "forgetting" to press dial in a panic after entering 911 (which seems unlikely given that this is muscle memory ingrained into everyone), there's probably better ways to do the same thing. You could only auto-dial if someone holds up the phone to the ear. After a few seconds you could vibrate the phone and draw more attention to the dial button. Anything that doesn't break the usual muscle-memory flow.
They could add it to the WiFi calling warning notification that emergency calls are unavailable. It even has a do not show again button that fails to dismiss or prevent the notification.
Interesting. On my iPhone the in-call mode moves the hangup button down a slot.
"the idiots are taking over" - NOFX
It's ok guys, I'm on it. I filed a support ticket with Google a couple years ago, and I'm sure they are just busy and will get back to me soon. I am a paid subscriber, after all.
I have the opposite problem with pixels: they keep trying to call 911 on their own. On the past couple Pixel phones I've had, the power button started to click itself on its own and ignoring my presses. Turns out Google, in their infinite wisdom, made rapidly clicking the power button into a shortcut for calling 911.
Yes i got burned by this "feature" as well. Disabled immediately after having to explain emergency center that the phone prank called itself.
FWIW I've managed to "fix" the power button by pouring 99% rubbing alcohol over the power button while pressing the button in and out. Doesn't prevent it from happening, so this is still problematic behavior, but it at least can save you from expensive repairs or replacements.
But yes, now I disable this "feature" on my phones.
But yes, now I disable this "feature" on my phones.
Last I checked there was an option to require screen interaction in addition to the side-button.
I believe if you wait X seconds it puts the call through
This keeps happening.
2022: https://www.xda-developers.com/google-pixel-3-update-emergen...
2022: https://www.xda-developers.com/google-pixel-3-update-emergen...
It’s been a constant issue in Australia recently. The 3G network shut down and it turns out a lot of phones were using 3G exclusively for emergency calls. As well as various network operator bugs.
Emergency calls being their own system which rarely gets tested by users is becoming a real issue.
Emergency calls being their own system which rarely gets tested by users is becoming a real issue.
They should make a 912 number that works exactly like any other number, with all the pros and cons of that. Though I guess then there would be no incentive to fix the special one.
I was thinking the opposite. A 912 number should use the exact same network and systems as 911, but just goes to a computer at the other end reading off some diagnostic info for guilt free testing.
That wouldn't necessarily solve the problem.
In the UK if you ring 999, you get put through to a 999 call handling centre that'll forward your call onto the police, fire and rescue, or ambulance service.
As part of 999 handling, emergency control rooms can subscribe to a service called EISEC, which will provide details of the 999 centre that forwarded the call and an approximate location of the caller. This is determined from network provider records for fixed-line phones, or from your phone's GPS if you ring from a mobile, or as an absolute last resort the GPS location of the nearest mobile serving site. The protocol is actually published and available to the public as SIN278 (Supplier Information Notice), but you will absolutely not be able to roll your own and expect to connect it to BT's network just for funsies. I know, I asked.
Anyway, to do a full end-to-end test you really need to ring 999, ask to be put through to the service you're testing, and check that your location pops up on their dispatch system. The 999 operators are always happy to help verify lines and so on, as long as you're not excessive.
The one thing you must never do if you accidentally call 999/112/911 is just hang up. DO NOT DO THIS. They WILL send the cops to check out what's going on, and they will send them quickly. If you (or your small child) calls 999, take the phone, explain it was an accidental call and you don't need assistance, and they'll close it off.
In the UK if you ring 999, you get put through to a 999 call handling centre that'll forward your call onto the police, fire and rescue, or ambulance service.
As part of 999 handling, emergency control rooms can subscribe to a service called EISEC, which will provide details of the 999 centre that forwarded the call and an approximate location of the caller. This is determined from network provider records for fixed-line phones, or from your phone's GPS if you ring from a mobile, or as an absolute last resort the GPS location of the nearest mobile serving site. The protocol is actually published and available to the public as SIN278 (Supplier Information Notice), but you will absolutely not be able to roll your own and expect to connect it to BT's network just for funsies. I know, I asked.
Anyway, to do a full end-to-end test you really need to ring 999, ask to be put through to the service you're testing, and check that your location pops up on their dispatch system. The 999 operators are always happy to help verify lines and so on, as long as you're not excessive.
The one thing you must never do if you accidentally call 999/112/911 is just hang up. DO NOT DO THIS. They WILL send the cops to check out what's going on, and they will send them quickly. If you (or your small child) calls 999, take the phone, explain it was an accidental call and you don't need assistance, and they'll close it off.
This is a cool idea.
> There have been reports from iPhone or Samsung users facing a similar problem, and that's despite their significantly higher user base.
Is there a "no" missing?
Is there a "no" missing?
Yes
This doesn't surprise me. Google still refuses to fix basic bugs in the distribution of android used in pixel devices. The alarm bug (where alarms will not work for days/weeks at a time, randomly) has existed since the pixel 1 and still affects the current generation of pixel phones.
This is why I forcefully moved my family to iPhone. Preferences be damned. I need to know that in an emergency, 911 will work for them. Google is unserious about phones. Always have been.
Everyone is unserious about phones except Apple these days unfortunately. I hate IOS but there’s nothing today that seems better.
CarPlay has a similar issue where it won’t call a contact
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Just realized I can’t exactly test any of my phones ability to call emergency services without a true emergency… even if they made a test number it still wouldn’t truly be the real thing.
You can call 911 outside of peak hours/major incidents and just tell them it’s a test. It’s fine if you don’t abuse it.
don't buy a pixel. worst ever shitty phone I have ever owned.
Google and Microsoft both treat their operating systems with this very palpable level of disdain.
The only updates for Windows are oriented around extracting more data or as revenue or integrated Microsoft product annoyances. Bugs are ignored for YEARS sometimes, major updates with huge issues get fired off with casual abandon.
Google is less openly hostile, but I get the very strong feeling that the android and pixel teams are about 6 people a piece. Like software in very deep maintenance mode. What bothers me most about this is less "android never receives big changes or major features" but instead "android/pixel has a big list of obvious bugs and has for a VERY long time, and they never get acknowledged ,much less fixed."
The camera app video judder saga is a prime example. (https://reddit.com/comments/1o1i5hi) How the HELL has nobody noticed and fixed this over there? Why is a random community member being forced to deal with this? Honestly pathetic work from Alphabet.
The only updates for Windows are oriented around extracting more data or as revenue or integrated Microsoft product annoyances. Bugs are ignored for YEARS sometimes, major updates with huge issues get fired off with casual abandon.
Google is less openly hostile, but I get the very strong feeling that the android and pixel teams are about 6 people a piece. Like software in very deep maintenance mode. What bothers me most about this is less "android never receives big changes or major features" but instead "android/pixel has a big list of obvious bugs and has for a VERY long time, and they never get acknowledged ,much less fixed."
The camera app video judder saga is a prime example. (https://reddit.com/comments/1o1i5hi) How the HELL has nobody noticed and fixed this over there? Why is a random community member being forced to deal with this? Honestly pathetic work from Alphabet.
> Google is less openly hostile, but I get the very strong feeling that the android and pixel teams are about 6 people a piece.
and they all use iphones
and they all use iphones
Don’t worry, with the latest Liquid (gl?)ass release, Apple is also catching up in terms of shittiness.
Works great for me? ::shrug:: You couldn’t pay me to go back to my S23 Ultra.
I bet the telemetry never fails though
Why is calling 911 different to calling any other number from the phone's perspective?
It needs to work at priority on any carrier even if you don't have a SIM or can't unlock the phone. Phones with e911 will send additional location data and such. During the call most phones prevent going into airplane mode or similar connection safety changes.
As an aside, I really liked my Google Nexus 5x, but it felt like basic quality control fell off a cliff for the Pixel line.
Between Pixel 2/4/8 (yeah yeah what can I say I'm a masochist), I had problems with out-of-focus pictures, widely inaccurate GPS, and my absolute favorite making a call which would dial the number and then about a second later immediately hang up.
I had a brief fling with using an iPhone but the speech-to-text dictation was absolute GARBAGE DAY and I make pretty heavy use of that feature while walking my dog.
Between Pixel 2/4/8 (yeah yeah what can I say I'm a masochist), I had problems with out-of-focus pictures, widely inaccurate GPS, and my absolute favorite making a call which would dial the number and then about a second later immediately hang up.
I had a brief fling with using an iPhone but the speech-to-text dictation was absolute GARBAGE DAY and I make pretty heavy use of that feature while walking my dog.
> and my absolute favorite making a call which would dial the number and then about a second later immediately hang up.
Is it your phone hanging up or are you calling an iPhone in do not disturb mode, in which case you have to call twice for it to go through (because their phone is automatically hanging up on you)
Is it your phone hanging up or are you calling an iPhone in do not disturb mode, in which case you have to call twice for it to go through (because their phone is automatically hanging up on you)
So it was pretty bizarre. Basically as soon as I punched the "Dial" button it would show the "modal dialog" of the number being dialed and then immediately hang itself up.
It happened pretty inconsistently, but I managed to make it happen against another person - who also had a Pixel phone so I don't think it was related to the "Do Not Disturb" mode. I'd assume DND would at least put you through to voicemail though.
It happened pretty inconsistently, but I managed to make it happen against another person - who also had a Pixel phone so I don't think it was related to the "Do Not Disturb" mode. I'd assume DND would at least put you through to voicemail though.
Are there any phones that are actually reliable and tested properly these days?
There are many silly bugs and inconveniences not getting fixed. In Pixel's Android you cannot swap the three navigation buttons, whereas in all other brands it's easy to do. I prefer to have the "back" button to the right, and yet Pixel doesn't allow me to set up it that way. It's on the left, the way the developer who wrote that likes.
Also, in the Google Message app used for sending text messages, when you have 2 SIMs from the same carrier in your phone, you can't tell through which one you got the SMS (if this is a message to which you can't reply, e.g., an advertisement). You get the carrier name instead of the SIM card name which you set up in the settings. This is not specific to Pixels.
RCS is a joke. Either "your device doesn't support" it, or "your carrier doesn't support" it, or there are other issues. Nobody cares about their RCS, the entire planet uses WhatsApp, or iMessage, because they just work, unlike RCS.
Silly issues. That's Google in all their glory. They can do magic that serves billions of people, but they are unable to polish the edges.
Also, in the Google Message app used for sending text messages, when you have 2 SIMs from the same carrier in your phone, you can't tell through which one you got the SMS (if this is a message to which you can't reply, e.g., an advertisement). You get the carrier name instead of the SIM card name which you set up in the settings. This is not specific to Pixels.
RCS is a joke. Either "your device doesn't support" it, or "your carrier doesn't support" it, or there are other issues. Nobody cares about their RCS, the entire planet uses WhatsApp, or iMessage, because they just work, unlike RCS.
Silly issues. That's Google in all their glory. They can do magic that serves billions of people, but they are unable to polish the edges.
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not-a-bug: Saves more lives in the long run
Those silly humans really should separate the police from their emergency services
Those silly humans really should separate the police from their emergency services
I kept pressing 911 and rapidly pressing where the send key was and moving the phone to my ear to hear silence. Dial 911, press what I thought was send, put it to my ear, silence. The worst sound you want to hear when you're alone and need 911 immediately. Eventually I took a breath and went slow to see what was happening and finally noticed it was automatically sending the call.