

Show HN: TT911 – Text 911 your location and name without unlocking your phone - osipovas
http://www.smsto911.com/

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ksenzee
My toddler is going to love this app. He can order up flashing blue lights and
a siren any time he wants!

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osipovas
We built the app to enable users to text 911 dispatchers their exact location
and name at the right time — without unlocking their phone.

Earlier this year we saw Text-to-911 launch in several areas around the
country with the effort to improve public safety.

It works wherever text to 911 is available (predominantly Chicago, Dallas,
Indiana, Maine, and Vermont).

We would love your feedback and thoughts.

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piptastic
When the location isn't available, and they try to use it and you state that
it isn't available...

Can you at that point have an option to initiate a call to 911 (through a
locked screen)? I'm not familiar with android development.

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osipovas
No. On Android only System Apps have permissions to place a call to 911 or
other Emergency Numbers (112 etc). We can definitely dial the emergency
number, 911 in North America, for the user (they still need to unlock the
phone to press the "Call Button" unfortunately.

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afreak
OK. So here is a question that is bothering me: how did you test this? How did
you ensure that this application will reach the 911 SMS service?

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osipovas
If Text to 911 is not available in your area you get a bounce back message
from your carrier.

The FCC website has more information about TT911 here:
[http://www.fcc.gov/text-to-911](http://www.fcc.gov/text-to-911)

~~~
afreak
But that doesn't answer my question. How did you even test this?

911 is not a trivial service that can be tested blindly.

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parkrrr
911 will accept test calls. You can call the office ahead of time and arrange
a test call.

Alternatively you can dial 911, inform the operator it is not an emergency but
a test call, and have them verify the phone number and location.

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afreak
That very much depends on the locale for the latter. If I call 911 and either
hang up after they answer or if you say that it is not an emergency but rather
a mistake or test, they'll still arrive where I am.

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dwild
Can they get your location if you call 911 and hang up from a cellphone?

Where I live (in Canada), one time I did some test using a VOIP application, I
have no idea why or how, but it caused a call to 911 (I didn't even saw the
call...). They called some minutes later to see if everything was alright and
when I said it was probably my test using VOIP that caused that, they
understood instantly, like it wasn't unusual.

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brandon272
How does this app find a "specific address" to send, as the website describes
it? What guarantee is there that it doesn't send the cops to my neighbor's
address?

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Fletch911
Cellular phones can use several technologies that can assist in providing and
X,Y coordinate of the device. These can be extremely accurate, depending on
the data available. Look on Wiki for 'SkyHook'. This information is NOT
available to 911 on phone calls, nor dopes a data channel exist to even
transmit the data from the device to the 911 center. This is why the App is
useful, but the App, needs to talk to something on the 911 center side.
Without that piece, there is no way to get the information from point A to
point B.

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preetnation
Fletch, that's spot on. This is why the utility is gated to the areas where
text to 911 is available (in upcoming update) and why 911 will send you a
bounceback if the dispatchers aren't so equipped

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jaimani
For what it's worth, according to FCC data, 9 out of 10 wireless 911 calls
don't have accurate location info, so it sounds like this service could be
pretty useful: [http://arstechnica.com/business/2014/07/9-out-
of-10-wireless...](http://arstechnica.com/business/2014/07/9-out-
of-10-wireless-911-calls-in-dc-dont-provide-accurate-location-info/)

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Fletch911
This is based on a report by FindMe911.org and it is specifically talking
about issues in the Washington DC area based on data obtained from a FOIA
(Freedom of Information Act) filing by that group. It is not to mean that this
is the condition all over, while I will admit there is a problem with cellular
phone location as the GPS signal is seriously disrupted inside of buildings
due to the lack of Line of Site.

Yes, this is a problem, but this 90% error rate is based on statistical data
from a particular area.

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gioele
Have you thought of accidental calls?

Cellphones used to have similar emergency buttons. People sitting on their
phones caused too many calls and these buttons have now disappeared. [1]

[1]
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pocket_dialing](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pocket_dialing)

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osipovas
We certainly have though about accidental calls. That's why we implemented a
double tap (with a timeout) as well as a countdown where the user is able to
cancel. False alarms are definitely something we're keeping our eyes on.

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uptown
Do you have a video showing this interaction?

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osipovas
Here we go!

Double Tap to Confirm:
[http://gfycat.com/UnderstatedRelievedIncatern](http://gfycat.com/UnderstatedRelievedIncatern)

5-Second Timeout:
[http://gfycat.com/HeartfeltHeavyAkitainu](http://gfycat.com/HeartfeltHeavyAkitainu)

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oconnore
Double tap is probably not good enough. Maybe a swipe pattern? Left left right
right or something of that nature?

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preetnation
good idea

