What you need to know
- Pixel’s Car crash detection is now available in five additional countries, including India, Austria, Belgium, Portugal, and Switzerland.
- However, the regional expansion applies only to the Google Pixel 4a and later models as well as the Pixel Fold.
- The car safety feature was introduced to Pixel smartphones back in 2019 as a US-only functionality.
Google was way ahead of the curve with car crash detection on its Pixel phones before Apple followed suit in 2021, but the search giant has been dragging its feet on expanding the feature to other countries. Finally, after years of waiting, Pixel’s car crash detection is reaching more territories.
Android sleuth Mishaal Rahman discovered that Google quietly updated its support page for Pixel car crash detection to include five new countries: Austria, Belgium, India, Portugal, and Switzerland (via 9to5Google). In total, there are now 20 countries where the car safety feature is available.
The Pixel’s car crash detection feature is now available in 5 new countries, including Austria, Belgium, India, Portugal, and Switzerland.Google updated its support page to include these countries sometime this month, and several users from India told me they’re now able to… pic.twitter.com/F1nsbz6SEkOctober 31, 2023
However, the feature is still limited to 11 languages, including Danish, Dutch, English, French, Canadian French, Italian, Japanese, Mandarin Chinese, Norwegian, Spanish, and Swedish.
And while car crash detection supports Pixel models as old as the Pixel 3, only the Pixel 4a and newer models are getting it in the new countries. Google has also added the emergency feature to the Pixel Fold.
Pixel’s car crash detection is a safety feature in the Personal Safety app that comes pre-installed on all Pixel phones. If you turn it on, your phone will be able to use sensors like the accelerometer and microphone in order to detect a car crash.
Your phone will vibrate and ring loudly in the event of a collision. You’ll have 60 seconds to swipe “I’m OK” or “Call 911.” If you don’t respond, your Pixel will automatically call 911 and provide your location. If you swipe “I’m OK,” your phone will prompt you to categorize the detection as “No crash,” “Minor crash,” or “Call 911.”
You can also alert emergency responders without speaking, just by tapping “Medical”, “Fire”, or “Police”. Plus, you can set up emergency contacts and share your status with them in case of an accident.