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iPhone 2.1 Emergency Call Anyone - Bug or Feature?
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This is incorrect.
I can call any number i try. It rings, they answer, i talk.
I think this is a major bug. Maybe Apple was avoiding the issue of dealing with all the different Emergency numbers in the world.
All the scenarios mentioned seem way to far fetched. My phone is locked so people don't use it. Phone locks have been around before phones were smart; the idea was that you didn't want someone to find your phone and use your minutes - this is still a valid idea.
All the emergencies listed previously where someone would need to call a relative first don't hold water in my opinion. First we have to assume that the other person does NOT have a cell phone of their own or they need to use mine. If they don't have one, they probably don't know me, and should dial 911 (in the us anyway). Even if they do or don't know me, if I can't give them my passcode and tell them to call my wife, they should dial 911.
Also, there is no way for them to know who my wife is anyway.... I have many people in my favorites, my wife has a different last name, and they can't see my favorites list anyway.
As for the scenario with Johnny hanging off the back bumper as i drive away (something like that) - did i drop my phone? If so, how do they know my number to dial, and I dropped my phone, calling me won't help if i am driving.
For medical reasons, my friend has allergies and another that is diabetic. They have told me that if something ever happens call 911 - not their mom/wife/etc.; again, how do I get the number if i can't unlock the phone? If i already know the number, i would use my phone. If i am a stranger coming on the scene, i am dialing 911 as I have no way to look up "mom" in your locked phone.
Finally, most all previous cell phones behaved one way: "Emergency Call" worked with 911 or 0 in the US; so at least in the US, that is what most people expect.
For these reasons, I think this is a BIG BUG!
Not necessarily true. It depends upon how emergency is defined. Apparently some are assuming in all emergencies another person will dial while others are visualizing emergencies in which the iPhone owner dials.
Isn't it possible that the owner of the phone might detect imminent peril (i.e. diabetic losing becoming lightheaded; perceived confrontation with assailant)? In such situations, unlocking the phone, and locating a contact might not be expeditious.
Exactly! And in both the cases you mention, would I call a friend/relative that may not be home or, if on cell, could be 100 miles away; OR would i call 911 and say I am a diabetic HELP or I am being attacked HELP. If i call 911 there is a chance that they can use GPS if I am attacked or go unconscious, but if i call a friend, there is no such chance.
It is still faster to dial 4 numbers to unlock and double tap home to get to favorites and click a favorite then to dial a 10 digit number - especially since the possibility of typos exist.
You have to draw the line between security, and functionality to cover every possible emergency. We're talking about a gadget, not some sort of life saving device.
As I said, providing one or two 'In Case of Emergency' people/places would be adequate. Allowing people to phone any number they please isn't good for security.
Exactly - and that is assuming you actually know the number for who ever you want to call.
yeah but what i was saying was regarding those saying that you should only be able to dial, say 911 or 000, or those main emergency numbers in relative countries. I believe it is a feature as you need to be able to have the choice thats all.
Feature has always been there
I purchased the first iPhone the day it came out last year. The emergency call functionality (which allows calling any phone number) has always been there from day one. This is not something new.
Just an interesting FYI: All iPhones use GSM and UTMS (for 3G). As a result, one can dial 112 anywhere in the world to reach emergency services. All GSM telcos will redirect 112 to the emergency number for that country.
I purchased the first iPhone the day it came out last year. The emergency call functionality (which allows calling any phone number) has always been there from day one. This is not something new.
Just an interesting FYI: All iPhones use GSM and UTMS (for 3G). As a result, one can dial 112 anywhere in the world to reach emergency services. All GSM telcos will redirect 112 to the emergency number for that country.
Data leakage too...
Whether the feature is intentional or not - think about this.
When you enter a number to dial in the emergency dial screen, it looks it up in the phone book revealing the name.
So for example if you are a jealous lover and have found a number scribbled on a piece of paper... you just need 15 seconds with your partner's "PIN protected" iPhone to find out who they are calling.
Obviously it's always going to be entered as "Hot lips" or something.
This does enable you to discover the identity of a contact just from their number, without having to call them.
Whether the feature is intentional or not - think about this.
When you enter a number to dial in the emergency dial screen, it looks it up in the phone book revealing the name.
So for example if you are a jealous lover and have found a number scribbled on a piece of paper... you just need 15 seconds with your partner's "PIN protected" iPhone to find out who they are calling.
Obviously it's always going to be entered as "Hot lips" or something.
This does enable you to discover the identity of a contact just from their number, without having to call them.
"Emergency" is not "All"
Clearly it is a bug. It says "Emergency calls", not "Make any call". The text implies a restriction which isn't there.
If you want to call it a feature because it "may save your live sometimes" it's fine by me, but it remains a bug. Hmm, come to think of it, why not leave the keys in our cars when we park them so if we have an accident somebody can use our car to drive us to the hospital without having to search for keys (of course we'll put a sign in the window saying "only for emergency"
... Don't flame me on the comparison, I know it's not 100% accurate, it's just to make a point...
but
I also have the solution: I think a wider range of emergency numbers should be possible so I suggest that the number of "any calls" while locked should be limited to 2 (or a user setting) before requiring the pin and only allowing the real local emergency numbers equal to behaviour without SIM. This gives a chance to use the phone for a real emergency but if the phone get's stolen without your knowledge it won't run up the phonebill too much with the few calls.
\/\/...
Clearly it is a bug. It says "Emergency calls", not "Make any call". The text implies a restriction which isn't there.
If you want to call it a feature because it "may save your live sometimes" it's fine by me, but it remains a bug. Hmm, come to think of it, why not leave the keys in our cars when we park them so if we have an accident somebody can use our car to drive us to the hospital without having to search for keys (of course we'll put a sign in the window saying "only for emergency"
... Don't flame me on the comparison, I know it's not 100% accurate, it's just to make a point... but
I also have the solution: I think a wider range of emergency numbers should be possible so I suggest that the number of "any calls" while locked should be limited to 2 (or a user setting) before requiring the pin and only allowing the real local emergency numbers equal to behaviour without SIM. This gives a chance to use the phone for a real emergency but if the phone get's stolen without your knowledge it won't run up the phonebill too much with the few calls.
\/\/...
Sometimes. I would be content if in addition to "Favorites" we had an "Emergency" list of contacts that could be assigned to speed dial.
That is not even worth responding to.
CELL PHONE EMERGENCY ADVICE
Remember that another reason for the emergency call is so if someone was in trouble and so were you, and someone had to use your phone, then they don't need to know how to work it in order to make an emergency call. Especially if it was technological illiterate people.
Although it may be quicker to enter a 4 digit number to unlock your iPhone, it would be useful to allow only the emergency services and your ICOE number.
Although it may be quicker to enter a 4 digit number to unlock your iPhone, it would be useful to allow only the emergency services and your ICOE number.
I don't see it as a bug. Who decides what is a valid emergency number. That means something different for different people.
Maybe something like the suggestions of allowing address book entries to be marked as emergency numbers and then showing only those numbers when dial emergency number is selected could be an option, but I wouldn't want to restrict it besides that.
Maybe something like the suggestions of allowing address book entries to be marked as emergency numbers and then showing only those numbers when dial emergency number is selected could be an option, but I wouldn't want to restrict it besides that.
I agree - Filed under BUG.
Although argumentation has been given for this for me I don't like it. I passcode protect my phone to prevent it from being used. If someone wants to use my phone and I know them, fine, I will unlock it for them. The reason I have the passcode on is to protect the phone and the contents of it.
For someone to contact somebody I know in an emergency via the 'Emergency Call' they would need to know the number of the person, or their name. They can't get the number from the name because they don't have access to my phonebook because the phone is locked.
I like my iPhone, I do, but c'mon. How come almost all other mobile phones only allow emergency calls to be made to 999, 911, 112, etc. and, AFAIK there haven't been hoards of comments about 'in an emergency I want to dial my mum/wife/girlfriend and it only allows me to do dial xxx'.
It's a bug and it would allow an unscrupulous person, (read:thief), to either run up a bill in your name or use all your minutes. I have lost my phone a couple of times and only realised in the morning not in .5 of a second after it's gone!
Just my thoughts
- D
are you kidding me? You just regurgitated that guys idea and claimed it as your own. Very microsoft of you.
Carrier should define "emergency"
I'm pretty sure what's intended here is that the phone should contact the carrier with the number being dialled (of course) and an extra-band indication that "this is an emergency call". At least that's the aim: but probably it's not implemented yet by most telcos.
Surely that's the way it should go. Think how a public phone works: its owner (the telco, and not you) determines what can be dialled for free.
Once implemented on the telco side, the telco could refuse to connect calls labelled "emergency" that it does not recognise as such.
Is Apple as usual ahead of the curve?
I'm pretty sure what's intended here is that the phone should contact the carrier with the number being dialled (of course) and an extra-band indication that "this is an emergency call". At least that's the aim: but probably it's not implemented yet by most telcos.
Surely that's the way it should go. Think how a public phone works: its owner (the telco, and not you) determines what can be dialled for free.
Once implemented on the telco side, the telco could refuse to connect calls labelled "emergency" that it does not recognise as such.
Is Apple as usual ahead of the curve?
