Google has quietly rolled out an app that can potentially save lives. Personal Safety, which detects car crashes, has appeared on the Play Store.
Using the different sensors of a smartphone, including the accelerometer and microphone, the app can figure out whether there has been an accident and then notify emergency services.
Google's Personal Safety App Will Detect A Car Crash
Google has not officially announced the app, but the listing on Google Play, which includes screenshots, reveals that the app will vibrate and sound an alarm when it detects a car crash. This will allow the user to respond and assure the app that they are safe.
However, if there is indeed an accident and the user does not confirm their status, the app will automatically call 911 and provide their location to first responders. The app will also notify those listed in the device as emergency contacts.
Google said that Personal Safety will analyze data from the GPS, motion sensors, and the ambient audio from the smartphone's microphone in order to determine if an accident has occurred.
The tech company warned that the app might also be triggered by "high-impact activities." The user might have to tell the app that they are safe to prevent it from contacting emergency services for incidents that might not warrant the intervention of authorities.
However, Google assured that there will be multiple instances where the user can assure their safety before the app contacts 911.
Uber has released a similar feature called RideCheck in the United States earlier this year. Ridecheck will monitor the activity of the vehicle and push out a notification if it has been stopped for a while to check if the driver and passenger are safe. The notification will provide the user an easy access to the Uber app's emergency buttons to call 911 in case of an accident.
Personal Safety For Pixel
The Play Store listing notes that Personal Safety is only available to Pixel phones owned by users currently residing in the United States. XDA Developers, which was first to spot the app on the Play Store, added that changes on the Emergency Information app were being rolled out to Pixel devices, including the Pixel 2 XL, since May this year.
More information about the Personal Safety app might be released at the Pixel 4 event on Oct. 15.
