You rely on Siri a lot. She’s accessible on your iPhone, your iPad, and even your iMac. Siri always sets your alarms, sends emails, checks text messages, plays music, and…calls 911? Is that a service that Siri can provide?
Siri can call 911, but only on iPhones and iPads. Saying numbers like 14 and 03 can also trigger Siri to respond similarly since those numbers are used to contact emergency services in other parts of the world.
In this article, we’ll explain how Siri reacts when you ask her to call emergency services and whether Alexa can do the same. This information could very well save your life, so make sure you keep reading!
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Can Siri Call 911? How?
Siri, as we talked about in the intro, is the Apple virtual assistant. You can use Siri on many popular Apple devices today, from the Apple iPhone to the Mac and the iPad.
One of the countless tasks that Siri can do is contact emergency services, at least if you’re on your smartphone or tablet.
If you try to dial 911 or an equivalent emergency number through your Mac, Siri will say the following: “I’m sorry, I can’t use emergency services here. Please use your phone.”
As we talked about in the intro, Siri will dial emergency services on your behalf on your phone or tablet if you say a certain number out loud.
You could say 01, 02, or 03, which are the emergency services numbers in Belarus, Latvia, and Ukraine.
You could also utter 14, 15, 17, 18, or 19, which are used by Tahiti, Morocco, Martinique, Mali, Chad, Albania, and other regions as emergency service numbers.
Then, of course, you can also say 911.
If you’re looking for a bigger list of emergency service number around the world, check out my article about what to do if you accidentally call 911.
All you have to do to get Siri to connect to emergency service is say, “Hey Siri, dial [equivalent emergency number in your region.]”
For example, “Hey Siri, dial 911.”
If you were just trying to see if the function worked and you don’t actually want to call emergency services, you have three seconds to cancel the call. Otherwise, it will go through.
The Emergency Call prompt will appear on your phone with a big countdown featuring a red circle with white numbers in the center. The cancel button is on the left side of that prompt.
If you don’t want to wait three seconds, you can hit the call button to push the call through immediately.
Even with the three seconds of leeway, you should not mess around with the emergency numbers, including the emergency numbers outside of your region.
Siri still perceives any of those numbers as emergency numbers and will try to contact the police or fire department in response.
Be sure to tell your children the same if they have their own smartphones.
Not sure what to say when you call 911? Check out this other article I wrote about what you should say when you call 911.
What About Alexa or Google Assistant? Can they call 911?
Not everyone prefers Apple devices. If your smart device is produced by Amazon, then it features the virtual assistant Alexa.
You might also have a Google smart device that uses the Google Assistant.
Can either of these services dial 911 for you? Let’s explore.
Can Alexa Call 911?
Unlike Siri, Alexa cannot dial 911. That goes for any other emergency service equivalent in other parts of the world as well.
If you have an Amazon smart device such as an Echo Dot connected to a landline phone, then you can ask Alexa to contact emergency services that way.
However, that’s a rather indirect method compared to Siri.
Considering that most people use their smartphones over their landlines, it also seems unlikely for the average person to hook up their Amazon device to a landline.
Can Google Assistant Dial 911?
If you own an Android device that uses Google Assistant, you can use Google Assistant to dial 911 for you.
You only have to say, “Ok, Google, call 911.”
In that regard, the Google Assistant works a lot like Apple’s Siri voice assistant does.
However, you do have to use the exact verbiage above.
Asking Google to call you an ambulance can result in confusion on the part of the smart device. The Google Assistant will simply produce a list of nearby ambulance companies.
Private ambulance companies cannot dispatch emergency services, so always make sure you’re clear about what you need when using the Google Assistant.
What Happens When a Smart Device Calls 911?
Okay, so Siri or Google Assistant connected you with emergency services. Now what?
As smart as smart devices are, they can’t talk to emergency services for you. That’ll be on you to do.
If you find yourself incapacitated and unable to speak to the operator, as we discussed in another recent article, the operator can use your smartphone carrier data and the closest cellphone towers to find your location.
This can come in a lot of handy if you’re in a life-threatening situation and are afraid to talk.
Siri, the Apple smart assistant, can call 911 or the emergency number equivalent for you if you say, “hey Siri, dial 911.”
Google Assistant can do the same. All you have to do is say, “okay Google” rather than “hey Siri.”
While this is a handy feature to have, you should trust that it works. There’s no need to try out the service yourself, as you could accidentally connect to emergency services without meaning to. That just wastes everyone’s time.
