Prepare Your Kids for an Emergency by Showing Them These 5 Tech Tips

We precocious had an exigency successful the family. It got maine reasoning that if thing happened to maine oregon my woman erstwhile we're astatine home, my kids would person nary thought what to do. When I was increasing up, I was taught however to telephone exigency services connected a landline phone, but we nary longer person a fixed-line telephone successful our home.

I realized that I needed to thatch my kids what to bash should thing hap to my woman oregon me. Thankfully, exertion provides a batch of adjuvant ways that your kids tin question assistance successful an emergency.

5 Making Emergency Calls From Smartphones

In the past, kids could prime up the landline successful an exigency and telephone exigency services. As agelong arsenic they could retrieve the elemental three-digit telephone number, they could ringing for help. Today, that's not truthful easy; adjacent if they tin find your mobile phone, the chances are that it's going to beryllium locked with a PIN codification oregon biometric fastener specified arsenic Face ID.

Thankfully, modern smartphones let you to marque calls to exigency services without needing to unlock the phone. The simplest instrumentality to thatch your kids is to property the powerfulness oregon broadside fastener connected a smartphone 5 times successful speedy succession. On galore Android phones, this volition commencement a countdown, aft which the telephone volition telephone exigency services. You whitethorn request to alteration the diagnostic connected immoderate Android phones, truthful it's worthy investigating it retired to spot if it works for your model.

On an iPhone, aft pressing the broadside fastener 5 times, you request to swipe the "Emergency Call" enactment to spot the call. If you want, you tin alteration this successful the settings to an automatic countdown, akin to what happens connected Android.

You tin besides commencement the automatic countdown connected iPhone by pressing and holding the broadside and measurement buttons. This operation won't enactment connected astir Android phones, however, truthful it's safest to thatch kids the five-button instrumentality arsenic it volition enactment connected a wider enactment of phones.

4 Using a Voice Assistant connected a Phone

If an mishap occurs astatine home, your kid whitethorn not beryllium capable to scope oregon find your phone. It mightiness beryllium successful your pouch oregon retired of sight. However, it whitethorn inactive beryllium imaginable for them to telephone exigency services utilizing your phone's voice assistant.

For example, connected an iPhone, you tin accidental "Hey Siri, telephone exigency services," and a three-second countdown volition start. If you don't cancel wrong those 3 seconds, the telephone volition beryllium placed to exigency services. Other phrases, specified arsenic "Hey Siri, telephone 911" and "Hey Siri, telephone an ambulance," volition besides work, and you tin usage this method adjacent if the iPhone is locked.

However, successful practice, I wasn't capable to get this to enactment for my kids. If I said the phrase, Siri would respond, but if my kids said it, thing would happen. I got astir this by creating a customized vocal shortcut.

To acceptable up a vocal shortcut, you grounds a circumstantial trigger operation truthful that your telephone knows what to perceive for. I created a vocal shortcut that made a Siri petition to telephone exigency services, with my girl signaling the trigger operation "please telephone for help, I request help." She was past capable to get Siri to telephone exigency services by saying the operation adjacent my iPhone, adjacent erstwhile it was locked.

If you person an Android phone, your kids whitethorn beryllium incapable to get Google Assistant to telephone exigency services. You tin telephone numbers successful your contacts by voice, adjacent erstwhile your telephone is locked. However, if you accidental "OK Google, telephone 911," you volition usually beryllium prompted to unlock your phone, which your kid whitethorn beryllium incapable to do.

3 Activating Emergency SOS From a Watch

If you oregon your kids deterioration a smartwatch, they whitethorn beryllium capable to interaction exigency services utilizing the watch. The nonstop method volition beryllium connected the marque and exemplary of the smartwatch.

For an Apple Watch, pressing and holding the broadside fastener volition bring up a caller surface with 3 options. Swiping "Emergency Call" astatine the bottommost of the surface volition commencement a telephone to exigency services.

On a Samsung Galaxy Watch, you request to property the Home fastener 5 times successful a enactment to trigger an exigency call. The telephone to exigency services should past spell done immediately, though you tin crook connected a countdown earlier the telephone starts successful the settings if you want.

On a Google Pixel Watch, pressing the crown 5 times successful speedy succession volition commencement the process. You past request to interaction and clasp the surface for 3 seconds to commencement the call.

2 Making Emergency Calls Using a Smart Speaker

If your kid is incapable to entree your telephone oregon ticker during an emergency, determination are different ways that they tin interaction exigency services. If you person astute speakers astir your home, your kids whitethorn beryllium capable to usage them to telephone for help.

If you person a HomePod, you tin telephone exigency services by asking Siri. Say "Hey Siri, telephone 911" oregon "Hey Siri, telephone exigency services," and Siri volition inquire you to corroborate that you privation to spot the call. If you accidental yes, the telephone volition beryllium enactment through. My girl was capable to get this to enactment each clip done a HomePod, contempt it not moving connected my iPhone.

If you person Amazon Echo devices, things are a small much complicated. It's not imaginable to telephone exigency services conscionable by asking Alexa. However, successful the US, you tin motion up for a paid subscription called Alexa Emergency Assist. With this subscription, anyone successful your household tin accidental "Alexa, telephone for help" to a compatible Echo device, and you'll beryllium connected to an urgent effect agent.

Alternatively, you tin adhd an exigency interaction successful the Alexa app. Once this is acceptable up, saying "Alexa, telephone for help" volition instantly telephone the exigency interaction from your Echo device. Your kid tin past talk to them done the astute talker and inquire for their help.

To adhd an exigency interaction successful the Alexa app, pat "More" and prime "Communicate." Tap the two-person icon successful the apical close of the screen. Tap the 3 dots paper icon and prime "Emergency Contact." Choose "Select Contact" and prime a interaction that you privation to beryllium capable to telephone successful an emergency.

If you person Google astute speakers, you can't straight telephone 911 oregon prime an exigency contact. However, it is imaginable to telephone contacts by name, truthful you could thatch your kids however to telephone a designated exigency interaction by saying thing similar "OK Google, telephone Uncle Dave."

1 Running an Automation From a Smart Button

If you're a astute location buff, you mightiness privation to see making your ain panic button. The nonstop method for doing truthful volition beryllium connected your astute location ecosystem and the astute location devices you own.

For example, I person a Philips Hue dimmer switch that I nary longer usage to power my lighting. I tin usage this to trigger Alexa routines that tin telephone circumstantial numbers successful my interaction lists. I tin besides usage the dimmer power with Home Assistant to nonstop an exigency substance connection to a database of numbers whenever the fastener is pressed. This tin alert friends and household that thing whitethorn beryllium incorrect and inquire them to telephone maine oregon my woman to cheque that everything is OK.

Setting up a panic fastener automation requires a small effort, but it tin beryllium worthwhile, arsenic it's the simplest method for kids to use. Even young children tin recognize that if thing atrocious happens, determination is simply a fastener that they tin property that volition bring help.

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No 1 likes to deliberation astir thing atrocious happening erstwhile they're astatine location with their kids, but it ever pays to beryllium prepared. While calling for assistance is nary longer arsenic elemental arsenic picking up a landline phone, determination are plentifulness of ways that your kids tin get assistance utilizing smartphones oregon different astute tech. The important happening is to find a method that works for you and your household and guarantee that your kids cognize what to bash should an exigency arise.