Google has activated Emergency Location Service (ELS) on Android in India, a safety feature designed to help emergency responders find you faster during a crisis. The rollout is operationalised first in Uttar Pradesh, where the state’s 112 emergency services have integrated ELS to receive more accurate caller location data.
In plain terms: if you call or text 112 from a compatible Android phone, your phone can automatically share your precise location with emergency services—potentially saving critical minutes.
What is Emergency Location Service (ELS)?
Emergency Location Service (ELS) is a built-in Android capability that activates only when you contact emergency numbers (like 112 in India). When triggered, ELS uses multiple signals (like GPS, Wi-Fi, and cellular networks) to compute a more accurate location and share it with emergency responders—when the receiving emergency system supports it.
Google says ELS can often achieve location precision within ~50 meters, depending on conditions and available signals.
What’s new in India, and why this matters
While ELS exists on Android globally, India is now seeing its first operational integration with emergency infrastructure—starting with Uttar Pradesh’s 112 service. This is important because the key benefit of ELS depends on whether the local emergency response system can receive and use the enhanced location data.
According to Google’s announcement, ELS in UP has been integrated by Uttar Pradesh Police, executed with support from Pert Telecom Solutions (PertSol), and is designed to scale for high volumes of emergency calls and SMS.
How ELS works on Android during an emergency
When you call or text an emergency number, ELS may:
- Temporarily turn on device-level location signals (if needed) to improve accuracy
- Use a combination of GPS + Wi-Fi + cellular to estimate your position
- Send your enhanced location to emergency services (if supported), and may also share device language to help responders communicate effectively
ELS is designed to work broadly across Android devices that have Google Play services—often without needing new hardware.
Availability in India: Who gets it first?
- First operational state: Uttar Pradesh, integrated with 112 emergency services
- Device compatibility: ELS is an Android feature delivered via Google Play services; many reports indicate it works on Android 6.0+ devices (varies by device/software environment and region).
- Expansion: Coverage beyond UP will depend on additional emergency service integrations across states.
How to enable (or disable) Emergency Location Service on Android
On most Android phones, you can manage ELS here (menu names vary slightly by brand):
- Settings
- Safety & emergency (or Location / Security & emergency)
- Emergency Location Service
- Toggle On/Off
ELS is intended to activate only when you call or text an emergency number.
Privacy: Does Google track you with ELS?
ELS is built with privacy controls:
- It triggers only during emergency interactions
- Users can turn ELS off in settings
- Google states it does not “view” the location sent to emergency endpoints (design depends on local implementation and emergency systems).
If you’re privacy-conscious, the key takeaway is that ELS is event-driven (emergency-only) rather than always-on tracking.
Quick FAQs
Does ELS work if my phone’s location is turned off?
It can still try to determine location during an emergency event depending on device configuration and permissions, but behavior can vary. Google notes ELS may use Google Location Services and other info to determine the most accurate location during an emergency.
Is ELS available across all Indian states today?
It’s operationalised first in Uttar Pradesh with 112 integration. Wider rollout depends on other states integrating their emergency response systems.
Do I need to install an app?
No separate app is typically required; ELS is part of Android/Google Play services on supported devices.
Which emergency number does it support in India?
The current operational integration highlighted is with 112 in Uttar Pradesh.