Making an Emergency Call
The satellites used by your phone’s GPS feature are controlled by the U.S. government and are subject to changes implemented in accordance with the Department of Defense GPS user policy and the Federal Radionavigation Plan. These changes may affect the performance of your phone’s GPS feature.
Making an Emergency Call
Dial 911 to be connected to an emergency response center. If you are on an active call, you must end it before calling 911.
When you make an emergency 911 call, your phone’s GPS feature begins to seek information to calculate your approximate location. It will take your phone’s GPS feature some time to determine your approximate location. Even where your phone has good access to sufficient GPS satellite signals and network assist data, it may take 30 seconds or more to determine the approximate location. This time will increase where there is reduced access to satellite signals. When your approximate location is determined, it is made available to the appropriate emergency response center.
In some cases, your local 911 emergency response center may not be equipped to receive GPS location information. For this reason, and because the GPS location information reported is only approximate or may not be available in your location (see “IMPORTANT: Things to Keep in Mind” on page 94), always report your location to the 911 operator you speak to when making an emergency call, if able, just as you would when using a phone without GPS capabilities.
NOTE: If you are concerned about whether your local 911 emergency response center is equipped to receive GPS location information, contact your local authorities.
In general, if your phone has access to signals from more GPS satellites, your location will be determined faster and more accurately than if your phone has access to signals from fewer GPS satellites.
If your phone does not have adequate access to GPS satellites signals, the location of the nearest cell tower in contact with your phone is automatically made available to emergency response center, if the center has the capability to receive such information.
See “Enhancing GPS Performance” on page 98 for information on how to help your phone determine your location.
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