Google wants to help you stay safe. The company on Tuesday unveiled a new feature called SOS Alerts for Search and Maps that will provide information on emergency situations.
When you search for information on a crisis, you may now see an SOS Alert that includes emergency phone numbers, news, translations of useful phrases or donation opportunities. Depending on how close you are physically to the crisis, you may get a mobile notification directing you to this information. Google Maps on mobile will also show SOS Alerts, marking the location of emergency situations and providing real-time updates like road closures.
“We hope you never need to use crisis response features, but if you do, they’re designed to help keep you, and those you love, safe and informed,” Google’s Yossi Matias wrote in a blog post.
On a help page about the alerts, Google said it will provide updates from local, national and international authorities “during a natural or human-caused crisis.” However, the company cautioned that you may not see an alert for every major crisis, but said it plans to make them more broadly available over time.
If you want to get notified of SOS Alerts on your phone, you’ll need to have the latest version of the Google app installed and make sure your location is turned on.
Article source: https://www.cnet.com/how-to/google-sos-alerts-help-keep-you-safe-emergency-crisis/