Boy, 4, Uses Siri To Help Save Mum's Life (bbc.com) 137
A four-year-old boy saved his mother's life by using her thumb to unlock her iPhone and then asking it to call 999. From a report: Roman, who lives in Kenley, Croydon, south London, used the phone's voice control -- Siri -- to call emergency services. Police and paramedics were sent to the home and were able to give live-saving first aid to his mother.
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No, but a 4-year boy may not know that, and presumably you need to unlock the phone for Siri to respond to activation command.
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How do you even attempt to make any sort of phone call without first unlocking the phone and opening the the call app? Is their some secret password that calls 911 for you?
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Re: Hmm (Score:1)
Yes, it does. But he was a 4yo kid.
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Who? Wisnoskij?
Re: Hmm (Score:2, Informative)
UK (and some other parts of the world) slang for mother is Mum...
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"Was this a typo and they meant "Mom"?"
Mum is British for mom.
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Mom is American for Mum.
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Re: Hmm (Score:1)
It's there... tap "emergency call"
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Yes. And Siri as well. I'm assuming the little boy did not know that. (At 4 he probably can't read yet)
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How do you even attempt to make any sort of phone call without first unlocking the phone and opening the the call app? Is their some secret password that calls 911 for you?
Yes. The password is "Emergency" [idownloadblog.com]. Not very secretive though, since the phone puts it on the screen in the lower-left corner.
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No, but a 4-year boy may not know that, and presumably you need to unlock the phone for Siri to respond to activation command.
From the lock screen, if you swipe down, you get the search box, w/ the mic icon on the right, which would enable Siri. Granted, the 4 yr old may not know that, but if he's smart enough to use mom's finger, I'd expect he's smart enough to have explored such nooks & cranies of an iPhone. Of course, I'm talking here about iOS 10.2.1: not sure whether they would have had an older version, for whatever reason.
Re: Hmm (Score:5, Insightful)
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Thing sure have changed since I was four.
They don't always know, or understand, how everything works.
Actually, the kid was smart enough to figure out the unlocking thing and then ask Siri for help. I'm just surprised that dialing 999 (or 911) [youtube.com] is beyond him.
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Actually, the kid was smart enough to figure out the unlocking thing and then ask Siri for help. I'm just surprised that dialing 999 (or 911) is beyond him.
He probably saw his mom unlock the phone and use Siri many times before. However, being as he is only 4 years old he might not have known to call 999, or which number on the keypad was 9 when it came up. Some 4 year olds can read the numbers 0-9 but not all. Stringing together the right 3-digit sequence of numbers is not a small task at that age.
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4 year olds can know numbers and letters.
E.g. "what letter/number is this".
Kids vary wildly at that age in what they have learned though.
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Be aware, your 4-year old may be Marlon Wayans. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/... [wikipedia.org]
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Time for the obligatory: https://www.youtube.com/watch?... [youtube.com]
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I don't have an iPhone, but on my Android phone if you want to make an emergency call without unlocking the phone, you need to use a special gesture (swipe up from the bottom-left corner) and then tap the small word "emergency" near the bottom of the screen when the unlock prompt appears. Since it's not a normal flow for most people, it might have been a bit much to expect a 4-year-old to figure it out during a life-and-death emergency (can he read?). This kid relied on the method that he knew would work, w
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"I'm just surprised that dialing 999 (or 911) [youtube.com] is beyond him"
Um, just a wild guess here, perhaps it's because HE'S FUCKEN FOUR YEARS OLD AND HIS MOTHER IS DYING IN FRONT OF HIM?!
Jesus fucken Christ.
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You mean like this? http://youtu.be/F3CS9l9VJmE [youtu.be]
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I'm just surprised that dialing 999 (or 911) is beyond him.
His mother is probably on the young side of millennial - meaning voice calls are a rare thing, having been replaced by messaging and Snapchat. He may not even know what "dialing" means, but can ask Siri.
Sometimes dialing the emergency number [youtube.com] is hard.
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Dialing is quite possibly not a daily occurance in the house like when we were 4. But he got the job done and that's the part that matters.
Re: Hmm (Score:5, Insightful)
I know corporate Executives that don't always know, or understand, how everything works.
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I know corporate Executives that don't always know, or understand, how everything works.
Or politicians.
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Definitely not limited to 4 year olds.
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1. I didn't know she knew how to activate the voice control (double click home button) but she had enough exposure to other phones/tablets to know to try it.
2. She was four.
3. Somehow I expected my phone to call itself
- Yo Gr
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She's either smart to have figured that out or is now very confused about how dads work. Like when your grandma calls your grandad "grandad." What, he's your grandad too? What the hell went on in this family?!
It would have been extra adorable if she'd tried to impersonate your voice when she was talking to the phone.
Re: Hmm (Score:1)
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Yes. The word "Emergency" is what you tap.
If you use the fingerprint sensor, then you might never see this. Click on the home button with an unregistered finger.
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Works for me. Tap a couple times, brings up passphrase screen with Emergency at the top of it because mine is alphanumeric.
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You have an alphanumeric finger?
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My fingers can count to ten AND spell in ASL.
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Touché
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so, we're holding it wrong again?
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False. Just hit the home button a couple times when it's locked. It brings you to the passphrase screen which has the emergency button there.
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Top center if it's an alphanumeric passcode.
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*hits button
"Enter Pin" "Emergency"
*enters pin and checks firmware
ioS 9.3.5
I hate Apple as much as the next non-fanboi, but give the Devil their due.
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You do if it's an iPhone.
You used to be able to make emergency calls using an iPhone on the lock screen - it was a button that was part of the "enter your PIN" screen.
Problem: in iOS 9, Apple removed that screen. Now you just get a screen that says "press home to unlock." There is no option to place an emergency call on iPhones any more as they forgot to move that button to the new lock screen. Oops.
I get "press home to unlock" on my iPhone (iOS 10), and the unlock screen has "emergency" down at the bottom-left
Look Again (Score:2)
Still there, bottom left.
Or you could also ask SIRI with he the phone still locked. But the kid didn't know that was not needed, I think it's pretty clever anyway for hime to do so given the age.
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Ok, so he didn't use the quickest way, only the way he was familiar with. At the age of 4. In an emergency situation. And got a good result. That'll do.
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It's not a good result.
It's a fucken amazing result for a 4 year old.
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You do if it's an iPhone. [...] Apple removed that screen [...] There is no option to place an emergency call on iPhones
No you don't, no they didn't, and yes there is.
Pretend it's an emergency and you're using someone else's iPhone. What's the first thing you'd do after getting the screen to turn on? Try doing that on someone else's iPhone and see what happens.
I'd wager you tried pressing the home button first thing, and, sure enough, if you do that with an iPhone running iOS 9 or iOS 10 you'll see the old unlock screen, including the "Emergency" button that gives you access to the owner's medical info and a keypad to dial o
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No, it doesn't. Try it: the screen shakes and you're told "try again."
You didn't press the button. You placed your finger on the sensor without pressing the button.
Re: Hmm (Score:1)
Breakthrough? (Score:3)
This is a breakthrough, because in the olden days a 4 year old would've been able to simply dial 999 on the rotary phone without having to deal with fingerprint identification or risk getting things wrong with voice commands?
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connected to an ISP or not can call emergency.
What does "connected to an ISP or not" have to do with the ability to call any number?
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Is there a reason you are calling a cellphone company a ISP?
Here (in the US) ISP usually stands for Internet service provider.
What does your acronym stand for?
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Probably the fact that far more traffic over a modern cellular network is Internet than voice. Therefore, by volume, a cellular carrier is an ISP more than it is a phone company.
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That's true but no one would usually call them an ISP.
Cellular is not an Internet service it's a phone service that happens to also be able to do Internet like POTS can also happen to do dialup.
Some carriers have started offering dedicated Internet service over LTE like att and verizon but not all do for example tmobile does not have a home Internet option so I wouldn't remotely think they would be called an ISP but they do sell phone service.
In any case saying if someone asked you whose your phone with the
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Magic. That's why your not allowed to use them on planes because they think the magic running the phones will interfere with the magic keeping the plane in the air and cause it to fall from the sky. /s
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On every smart phone I've ever used, emergency services are dial-able without unlocking the phone... Stop looking for things to complain about.
In this case, the procedure on an iPhone is reasonably likely to foil a 4 year old.
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What? It's been 999 like since forever.
I can't get that idiot Siri to place a call (Score:2)
Me: Siri where is the nearest Cabelas?
Siri: I've found the nearest Cabelas. Would you like me to call it?
Me: Yes
Siri: ("Yes" APPEARS on the screen) I'm sorry, I didn't understand.
Me: Yes
Siri ("Yes" APPEARS on the screen) I'm sorry. I didn't understand.
Me: Siri CALL THE FUCKING GOD DAMN NUMBER YOU USELESS PIECE OF SHIT
Siri: Calling
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It'll also does that if you ask for directions:
"Hey Siri, get directions to the nearest Starbucks."
Siri: "I found one that's two miles from here. Would you like to call, or get directions?"
"WHAT THE FUCK DID I JUST ASK YOU SIRI?!"
Siri: "I'm sorry, I didn't get that."
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!"
I don't think I've ever seen Siri actually be useful for anything. In fact, this story is the first story I've ever read about someone using Siri for something useful. Most of the time she just misunde
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I use Siri all the time. Think of it as a macro language for conveniently connecting multiple apps.
Squinting in the bright sunlight, I could log onto my phone, go to the Contacts app, scroll down to Joseph Blow, tap his address to bring up Maps, then tap Directions, then the Drive icon to have Maps display a route, then tap Go.
OR, I can just pull out my phone and say, "Hey Siri, navigate to Joseph Blow!"
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Totally agree. I've been a Mac user for longer than I care to admit, but Siri is just atrocious. Maybe it's my Aussie accent. Mate.
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I had one where we asked for a street address that was a mile away. It came up with the same street address... in South Africa, and then told us it couldn't get directions there. No shit, it's not even the right hemisphere!
So since this is Slashdot... (Score:1)
...I guess most responders will be outraged at this terrible IOS security hole that Apple has enabled?
At least the kid didn't use the wrench.
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You mean that you can use any phone that is able to get a signal to call 911 is somehow a security hole?
Well then you've got a pretty big problem because its the law so you can actually do that with any phone from any manufacturer running any os in the United States.
Wrong hole (Score:3)
You mean that you can use any phone that is able to get a signal to call 911 is somehow a security hole?
No, the fact that you can unlock a phone with the finger of someone unconscious...
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Yeah biometrics are convenient but they usually aren't a good idea security wise due to the possibility of permanent compromise.
It's a bad idea legally too as even a four digit pin code has more legal protection than your actual digits do.
Not that a four digit pin should ever be considered secure.
An idea (Score:2)
It would be nice if after one wrong PIN attempt, your fingerprint was automatically deactivated from allowed inputs... or maybe some very low specified threshold for finger inputs it did not like.
The iPhone has a start in that direction, you can't use a finger to unlock until after you have entered the pin at least once after the device has powered up.
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The fingerprint also deactivates after several invalid reads. I know, because when my toddler get his hands on my iPhone I always have to unlock it with the pin afterwards.
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The phone only checks for liveness. If you're unconscious, then you're alive, and thus the fingerprint sensor sees it has a real living finger.
If you're dead, then it probably wouldn't unlock.
Alternative title: (Score:3)
Parent's Are Dying Because Children Cannot Call 999 On Locked Smartphones
It seems like one happens more often than the other.
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Maybe we should be teaching children how to use locked smartphones to call emergency services.
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From the article:
Met Police Ch Supt Ade Adelekan said: "Hearing this call brings home the importance of teaching your young child their home address and how to call police or emergency services in an emergency situation."
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True... but that doesn't make for a good headline.
Mumumum (Score:2)
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The headline came from the UK website. Most Americans are bright enough to figure it out.
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There are orthographic standards [wikipedia.org] for the UK. They may not make sense (theatre? litre?), but they are standardised!
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Security hole. (Score:2)
Using finger to access the device. :P Imagine an exploiter wanting to do the same. :/
Bad design.... (Score:2)
No, obviously not. That would be absurd. (Score:2)
But a 4 year old probably doesn't know that, the 4 year old just knows that you need Mommy's thumbprint to play candy crush and assumes you also need it to call 911.
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No, you don't, but a 4 year old isn't going to know that. There's an emergency call button on the lockscreen (screenshot below):
https://www.igeeksblog.com/wp-... [igeeksblog.com]
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You don't need to unlock or even have a SIM card inserted at all to call emergency on a mobile/cell phone. As long as it it powered on and can pickup any network it should work.
Even if there is no network it will keep trying.
Educating everybody including kids about this is important.
Implication: no next-door relatives or neighbors? (Score:2)
Kudos to the kid saving his mom, but it is also kind of sad about how isolated and dependent on institutions and technology so many of us have become... So much so, we just take it for granted a four year old would have no neighbor or relative nearby to turn to.
Perhaps I was just lucky to grow up (lower-ish) middle class in a suburb in the 1960s with siblings, many stay-at-home moms as friendly neighbors all around, as well as lots of kids playing in the street. That seems to be a world that perhaps hardly
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You joke, but a few weeks ago, there was a little girl who used her mom's fingerprint while mom was sleeping to get into the phone, and then order a whole bunch of toys for herself. So kids already know how to manipulate unconscious parents