In a bid to improve emergency response and provide critical medical information to first responders, RapidSOS has joined forces with Google's Android Emergency Location Service (ELS). By integrating with Android's Personal Safety app, users can now automatically share medical data with emergency services during 911 calls, enabling faster and more effective response times.

The collaboration between RapidSOS and Google's Android ELS builds upon the existing feature that shares a user's location with first responders after a distress call. This functionality has been available on Android phones since 2018, facilitated by RapidSOS, which works with over 16,000 first responder agencies and collects data from more than 500 million devices.

With the latest enhancement, users who have the Personal Safety app on their Android phones running on Android 12 or newer can now benefit from medical ID support for RapidSOS. When a 911 call is made, a person's medical data is automatically transmitted to emergency services, eliminating the need for extensive verbal communication and providing crucial information to responders.

The newly introduced feature, found in the Personal Safety app under the name "Share during emergency call," is turned off by default and is region-dependent. By enabling this option, users can ensure that their emergency information is instantly shared with authorized emergency response partners upon making the call for help.

Tenea Reddick, the emergency command center director of the Baltimore City Fire Department, praised the partnership, stating, "This is when your smartphone becomes smart. It saves so much time because we already know what we're responding to and what we need."

To start sharing their medical ID, Android users should set up the Personal Safety app and navigate to the "Your info" tab. From there, selecting the "Emergency info access" button and toggling on the "Share during emergency call" option will enable the automatic sharing of medical information.

While not all Android OEMs offer the Personal Safety app, supported devices include recent Pixel phones and the Nothing Phone.

This collaboration between RapidSOS and Google signifies a significant step forward in leveraging technology to enhance emergency response. By seamlessly sharing critical medical information with first responders, the initiative aims to save precious time during emergency situations, enabling a faster and more effective response to potentially life-threatening incidents.

The integration of RapidSOS with Android ELS not only complements the existing location-sharing feature but also demonstrates the potential of leveraging technology for the greater good by improving emergency services and ensuring the safety of individuals in distress.