On account of that, Google has recently added SOS alerts to the Google Maps and Search apps. SOS was originally named as Save Our Ship. It was used as a signal to alert the passengers when a disaster occurs. With SOS alerts now integrated into Google Maps and Google Search, it would be helpful for the modern world to keep themselves aware of their circumstances. Basically what the Google SOS alerts feature does is that, it will send you alert notifications in times of any natural disasters or man made calamities. Related : View & Manage Your Location History Using Google Maps Timeline Fire accidents are some of the common man made calamities and are capable of affecting the everyday lives of people around the affected area. Natural disasters like Floods, Earthquakes and even Snow storms also cause a huge distress.
How Will Be The SOS Alerts Useful
Google will show important information at the top of the search results when someone searches for the location or the Keyword of the disaster. These information include emergency contact numbers, safe locations, news coverage and related media. Google Maps will also show important information during times of distress, These include disaster locations marked in red, alternate routes and notification alerts. Google will also provide translations regarding the issues incase you are on a trip when the disaster occurred. Related : Caching offline maps in Google Maps App
How To Make Use Of The SOS Alerts Feature In Google Search And Maps
If you have the latest version of the Google Search and The Google Maps apps installed, you will automatically get notifications for the SOS alerts. Incase you want to view specific information like the location where some of your relatives live in, you can open the apps and search for the location or a keyword related to the incident.
For instance, if you search for NewYork, Then Google will return all possible results about any kind of calamities that occurred in NewYork. As mentioned earlier, this will include news and coverage about the disaster, emergency contact numbers, Disaster locations marked in Google Maps and alternate routes to travel.
Google has joined together with multiple emergency authorities like the Red Cross, the Federal Emergency Management Agency or the Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration in order to provide reliable and instant alerts to its users. However Google has revealed that it might not be able to send out alerts for every events but is working on to improve this. Google SOS Alerts is live from Today and it will be working on your phone as soon as you update the apps to the latest versions.