When a serious emergency occurs, a picture can be worth a thousand words. It can be incredibly helpful to first responders to see ahead of time what they will be faced with when they arrive.
It is technically possible to send photos and video to 911 operators, but it’s a convoluted process. That’s set to change later this year …
If this all sounds familiar, that’s because there had been limited trials of the feature before Apple last year announced Emergency SOS Live Video in iOS 18. The aim with this latest development is to simplify the process of sending existing media, says AT&T.
Updates will allow AT&T Mobility subscribers to send picture and video messages to PSAPs [public safety answering points, aka 911 centers] just as effortlessly as they text family and friends.
Eliminating the current, more complicated process for sending multimedia to PSAPs more quickly gives 9-1-1 dispatchers a better understanding of the emergency and improves first responders’ situational awareness.
While AT&T will be the first nationwide carrier to enable this feature for its cellular customers, it is designed to be interoperable with other cellular providers and will be accessible more broadly as other providers integrate it.
Additionally, cars involved in crashes will in future be able to automatically send more data to 911 centers. Some cars can detect a crash and make automatic 911 calls, advising operators of the exact location of the incident. In future, they will be able to send more information, such as airbag status.
This feature will initially be limited to 2026 Toyota vehicles with a built-in AT&T Connected Car SIM, but is again likely to roll out more widely over time.
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Photo by David Vives on Unsplash
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