What is it?
A simple emergency call widget for your Android lockscreen.
It appears as a pill-shaped button labeled “Click for Emergency.”
Tap it once.
It expands downward.
You’ll see the names of your pre-selected emergency contacts.
Tap any name, and it immediately starts calling them.
No unlocking needed. No searching. Just help, fast.
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Why does it exist?
In an emergency, every second counts.
Android’s built-in emergency call feature can be difficult to navigate and slow, especially when trying to locate pre-selected emergency contacts.
This widget is designed to make it quick and straightforward:
Clear text
Smooth animation
Immediate access to your emergency contacts
Just tap, expand, and call.
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What about privacy?
Anyone with access to your phone can use this widget to call your emergency contacts.
This isn’t a mistake — it’s because the widget is designed for easy accessibility in urgent situations. The goal is to ensure that if you’re unconscious or unable to act, someone nearby can quickly call for help.
However, this comes at the cost of privacy: while only names are shown, there’s no protection to prevent someone from calling your emergency contacts without your consent.
Why isn’t there a hold-to-trigger gesture?
The reason is simple: it could reduce the speed and accessibility in an emergency. The hold-to-trigger gesture might not be immediately obvious to someone trying to help, potentially wasting precious time. The priority is quick and easy access to make an emergency call, even under stress.
However, a potential improvement could be changing the text on the button to something like “Hold to Call”, which would give people a clearer idea of how to trigger the expanded options. But even then, the privacy concern remains the same. The goal is to provide a balance between speed and security in urgent situations.
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Accidental Calls?
It’s unlikely that someone will accidentally call a contact.
To make a call, two taps are required:
One tap to expand the widget, and
One tap to select the contact.
This helps prevent any
unintentional calls while keeping the process fast and simple.
