Summary
- Google Pixel Watch is updating the emergency SOS feature and adding an extra verification step to reduce accidental triggers.
- Pressing the crown five times now brings up a red SOS screen for 20 seconds before call initiation.
- Users can revert to the old 5-second countdown call method in settings if they wish to.
Google’s Pixel Watch lineup makes contacting emergency services in a crisis easy. You only need to press the crown five times quickly to trigger a 5-second countdown, after which the watch will initiate a call to your emergency contact or services. However, in January this year, Google announced a change to this method, adding an extra verification step to reduce accidental triggers. Nearly a month later, the change appears to be widely rolling out.
Related
How to set up Emergency SOS on your Android phone
Setting up emergency SOS features only takes a minute, but they could be vital in a crisis
Google is pushing this change to all existing Pixel Watch models through a Personal Safety update. As previously detailed, pressing the crown on the watch five times will bring up a red SOS screen that you must hold for three seconds to call emergency services or your emergency contact. If you don’t touch the screen within 20 seconds, it will automatically close, preventing you from accidentally making the call.
The GIF below shows the new behavior in action:
If you do not like this behavior, you can revert to the old one, where the watch would call 911 or your pre-specified emergency contact after a 5-second countdown. To do this, navigate to Settings > Safety and emergency > Emergency SOS and tap Ways to start SOS. From the menu that opens, scroll down and select the Automatically call option.
As spotted by 9to5Google, this change is rolling out with the Personal Safety for Wear OS v2025.01.23.x update. Your Pixel Watch will also notify you about this change after installing the new build.
A change for the good
If you have accidentally called emergency services previously with your Pixel Watch, you should stick to the Touch and hold to call setting. This will ensure your watch only calls 911 or emergency contact when you want to.
Remember that the Pixel Watch 2 and 3 feature Car Crash Detection, so they can automatically call 911 and share your location in an emergency, ensuring help reaches you as quickly as possible. The call is only made after a 60-second countdown, during which you must confirm whether you are okay or not. Otherwise, the watch will initiate a call to emergency services.
