GoKawiil
Tech News
Google is discontinuing Safety Signal, the LTE-based safety tool on the Pixel Watch 2 and Pixel Watch 3, with access ending December 12. Users will get email and push notifications giving 30 days' notice before their access is cut off. Features like emergency SOS, fall detection and emergency contact calls will still work via WiFi, Bluetooth pairing to a phone, or an active cellular plan.
Google said in a community post that it is discontinuing free cellular access to Safety Signal features—Emergency SOS, Fall Detection, and Safety Check—on the LTE versions of the Pixel Watch 2 and 3. The free access, previously bundled with a Google Health Premium subscription, ends after December 12th, with affected users given a 30-day transition window starting when they receive an email notice.
Code strings found in the latest Pixel Watch app update (version 5.1.0.990450614) indicate Google is deprecating Safety Signal, a Health Premium feature that provides cellular connectivity to the Pixel Watch 2 and Pixel Watch 3 LTE when paired phones are out of range or the watch lacks its own carrier plan. The service currently supports emergency contact calls, Safety Check, Emergency Sharing, Emergency SOS and Fall Detection in the US, Canada, the UK and Germany. Google has not announced a shutdown date or a replacement.
Google is developing a hands-free way to trigger Emergency SOS on Android devices, according to code strings found in a new build of its Personal Safety app. The strings suggest the feature would require voice confirmation, letting users say 'yes' to proceed or 'cancel' to dismiss an alert, rather than pressing the power button five times as currently required.
Apple's Watch Ultra 4 introduces a revamped sensor system with five-second heart rate readings, an improved pedometer, and a new Readiness feature that combines recent activity and sleep data. Samsung's Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 counters with an expanded Vitals suite in its Health app, offering daily blood pressure estimates, a Heart Health Score, antioxidant readings, and trail-running hydration guidance. Both devices share core safety tools like Emergency SOS, fall detection, and alert sirens, though only Apple's watch adds crash detection.
Apple confirmed in a footnote to its iPhone 18 Pro press release that it is once again extending free access to its satellite features, this time covering iPhone 14, 15, and 16 users for an additional year. The offer applies to devices activated in supported countries before midnight PT on September 9, and includes Emergency SOS, Find My, Roadside Assistance, and Messages via satellite.
Apple has expanded its Emergency SOS Live Video feature to Brazil through a partnership with public safety AI firm RapidSOS. iPhone users calling 190, Brazil's emergency number, can now stream live video or share photos with dispatchers upon request, using a feature previously limited mainly to the United States since iOS 18 launched in 2024. The tool works on iPhone 14 and later, requires user consent via a one-tap prompt, and is encrypted by default.