Safety in the palm of your hand: How Galaxy smartphones can help in times of emergency

Samsung Story

An accident involving a group of twenty local and foreign divers had been reported by local news outlets recently. The accident happened in Bogo City in Cebu when the divers’ boat had capsized off the waters. It was about after thirty minutes when a Samsung Galaxy S8 had been found under the submerged boat. Since the smartphone was still functioning well, it enabled the divers to contact rescuers. It was also used to provide the rescuers GPS their information which determined their location.

Jim Emdee, a Canadian national who owns the Samsung Galaxy S8 smartphone, stated:

“I really hope my [thank you] can make it to the engineering team as honestly it really saved us all. Only my S8 was able to connect…and worked all the way until we made it to land. It stayed alive for much longer than I thought possible and it really made the difference,”

Smartphones are more than just an entertainment device that we often use to browse our social media accounts and play our mobile games with. Accidents may happen any time in any day, do know that your smartphone may be able to save lives.

SAMSUNG shares tips on how to use your Galaxy smartphone in the event of an emergency:

Pre-installed emergency hotline

Knowing who to contact is paramount in the event of an emergency especially life-threatening situations such as fire, explosion, road accident, and national calamities.

In partnership with the Philippine National Police, Samsung developed a mobile application called Samsung 321. Galaxy smartphones issued in the Philippines come pre-installed with this app—a database of emergency services including police stations, fire stations, national disaster hotlines, medical assistance, even motor and traffic assistance.

In-pocket locator

Always notify an emergency contact of your current location. When on vacation, users are strongly encouraged to turn on their Global Positioning System (GPS) in their Galaxy smartphones to determine their location particularly when traveling alone or going to off-grid places.

SOS messaging and emergency alerts

Galaxy smartphones have the ability to send SOS messages to identified emergency contacts. Simply go to Settings > select Advanced features > turn on Send SOS messages. By pressing the power key three times, a quick SMS alert to your emergency contacts will be automatically sent.

Local telecommunication networks have also enabled emergency cell broadcast systems that allow for quick dissemination of emergency alerts. These have been proven useful in times of national calamities. To check if this function is enabled, go to Messages app > go to Notifications > check Emergency Alerts.

“Putting our customers first is a top priority for Samsung. It is incumbent upon us as a tech leader to find ways to enhance the lives of our customers. We take it as our responsibility to ensure that our products are not only well-made to stand the demands of daily use but must also be equipped with features to help users who find themselves in dire situations,” said James Jung, president of Samsung Philippines.

About Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.

Samsung inspires the world and shapes the future with transformative ideas and technologies. The company is redefining the worlds of TVs, smartphones, wearable devices, tablets, digital appliances, network systems, and memory, system LSI and LED solutions. For the latest news, please visit the Samsung Newsroom at http://news.samsung.com.