Android users can now share live video with 911 call handlers within seconds of connecting the call. Motorola Solutions’ 911 command center software, which is used by approximately 60% of North America’s public safety answering points (PSAPs), now integrates with Google’s Android Emergency Live Video, so callers can let first responders see their emergency with a single click.

“Visual context can change the entire trajectory of an emergency response, whether it’s coaching a parent on the Heimlich maneuver for a choking child or providing a lifeline during a home invasion when it’s unsafe to speak but the video can speak for you,” said Todd Piett, senior vice president of Command Center Software, Motorola Solutions. “We’re collaborating with Google to deploy this to PSAPs across North America at scale, giving 911 the eyes they need to help you when seconds count.”

Previously, sharing video with 911 was a multi-step process involving complex permission prompts, barriers that cost precious time in a crisis. The new Android Emergency Live Video integration streamlines these steps. Users receive a single confirmation prompt, allowing them to stream live video to the call handler in seconds from the moment the call is answered.

This livestream integrates directly into Motorola Solutions’ VESTA 911 and VESTA NXT software, which can inform dispatchers of who to send to the scene and can be forwarded via mobile app to police, fire or EMS units en route, so they arrive with better information, prepared to act quickly. 

The integration includes features designed for both privacy and responder well-being. Agencies can set incoming videos to blur by default, allowing call handlers to unblur the videos as appropriate.

Android users are enrolled in Android Emergency Live Video as part of the standard terms of their operating system. The feature is encrypted by default and users are always in control of whether their video is shared. They can stop sharing instantly at any time by terminating the video stream without affecting the 911 call audio connection or by declining the prompt at the start of a 911 call.