People are just realizing Android phones have hidden ‘emergency alarm’ – find it before you really need it

GOOGLE has built an emergency alarm into Android – but millions may be unaware of the feature.

It's easy to activate, but only if you know how to use it.

The feature is built in to Android's Emergency SOS.

It's only designed for use in serious situations where you need help or you're in significant danger.

👉 For more insights, check out this resource.

"If you're in an emergency situation, you can use your phone to trigger emergency actions like calling for help, alerting your contacts of your location, and recording video," Google explained.

The feature was added as part of Android 12, so make sure you've updated your phone.

👉 Discover more in this in-depth guide.

Next you'll need to ensure that your phone has a SIM – it's very likely that you have one.

Now go into the Settings app, then choose Safety & Emergency > Emergency SOS.

Turn Emergency SOS on and you'll be able to use it.

Then toggle Play Alarm Sound on, which will cause your Android phone to produce a louse noise when Emergency SOS kicks in.

You can also set up the actions that are triggered when Emergency SOS is activated.

For instance, you can make it:

• Call emergency services
• Share info with emergency contacts
• Record emergency videos to share with emergency contacts, or to save and back up (auto-share can automatically send a link to emergency contacts to download your video)

Once that's all set up, you can then use Emergency SOS whenever you need it.

Remember that some features (like location or video links) won't work if you don't have an internet connection.

How to activate Emergency SOS

To activate Emergency SOS, press the power button five times or more.

You'll then get a five-second countdown (giving you time to cancel it) before the emergency actions activate.

If you've toggled Play Alarm Sound on, a loud noise will be produced as soon as Emergency SOS is triggered.

You can change your Emergency SOS settings at any time.

Remember to only use Emergency SOS in a real emergency – especially if you're calling emergency services.