Google Personal Safety app with car crash detection feature spotted online

In the days leading up to the launch of Google's upcoming flagship smartphone, we've seen a lot of leaks and reports regarding the Google Pixel 4. In what we believe is yet another related leak, a new app from Google called Personal Safety was spotted on the Google Play Store by XDA Developers yesterday. Though the page has since been taken down, a leaked description of the app suggests the app can detect car crashes in the US and call for help automatically.

According to the report filed by XDA Developers, the new Personal Safety app is essentially the inbuilt Emergency Information feature found in existing Pixel devices renamed in the version ‘1.0.271601625.release’. If you own a Pixel device, you should be able to find this section within Settings. It allows sharing of one's current location with their trusted contacts. It's unclear at the moment if the new Personal Safety app (with its car crash detection feature) will be available on all Pixel devices or be exclusive to the upcoming Pixel 4.

The leaked screenshots show us how the app's car crash feature is designed to work when enabled. If the phone detects a crash while the user is on the road and moving (using the device's location, microphones, and sensors), it will sound an alarm, vibrate, and bring up a timed prompt to ask the user if they have been in a crash. Selecting ‘I'm OK’ will dismiss the prompt. Tapping the ‘911’ option twice will dial emergency services. Ignoring the prompt will do the same. During the call, the user needn't talk to the operator.

Sadly, the car crash detection feature in the Personal Safety app is limited to users in the US—at least for now. For smartphone users who reside outside the US, Google has a similar safety app called Trusted Contacts. Launched in late 2016, the app allows the user to assign emergency contacts, who, at any time, can request the user's current location and device activity status. You can download Trusted Contacts for Android here and for iOS devices here.

Inline image courtesy: XDA Developers

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