Google Developing Voice-Activated Emergency SOS Feature for Android Devices
Google is preparing a voice-activated version of the Emergency SOS feature for Android devices that would let users call for help without touching their smartphone.
According to code analysis by Android Authority, the upcoming function would activate after the user says the word Help three times. The sequence would then trigger location sharing, start an emergency video recording, and automatically dial emergency services.
At present, the standard way to launch Emergency SOS on Android requires pressing the power button five times. A voice-based alternative could prove useful when the device is out of reach or when a user’s hands are occupied.
Additional strings found in the Personal Safety app code include prompts such as “Say yes to continue” and “Say cancel to dismiss Emergency SOS,” indicating possible voice-based confirmation or cancellation steps. It is still unclear whether confirmation will be mandatory in every scenario.
The Personal Safety app is available beyond Pixel phones, raising the possibility that the feature could appear on compatible devices from other manufacturers. However, Google has not disclosed any supported models, languages, or release timeline.
Users should not expect the system to respond to the Russian phrase “Помогите” at this stage. The voice-activated Emergency SOS remains a work-in-progress discovered during code inspection, and Google may still alter or abandon the implementation before any public release.
Related articles
Curator Reveals Detailed Architecture of Its Network Filtering System After October 2026 Outage
Curator published a technical post-mortem analyzing the 38-minute outage that affected its entire traffic filtering network on October 8, 2026. The company operates nine filtering sites across Russia, each containing multiple nodes connected via high-performance switches to upstream providers. Traffic is isolated using two VRF contexts—external for inbound dirty traffic and internal for cleaned traffic—ensuring sequential processing through the protection system. Each node runs a custom Linux kernel firewall and a watchdog service that monitors BGP sessions to detect failures and remove unhealthy nodes from rotation. Centralized configuration management via CControl allows rapid rollout of rules but also introduces systemic risk when faulty changes propagate across all nodes. The post-mortem emphasizes the need for isolation, staged deployments, and independent recovery mechanisms in large-scale filtering infrastructures.
Testing Sinonix Controlled Data Exchange System with VEGMAN R220 G3 Servers and TATLIN.BACKUP.M Storage
YADRO and IT Bastion conducted extensive performance testing of the Sinonix information exchange control system using high-capacity VEGMAN R220 G3 servers and TATLIN.BACKUP.M storage arrays. The tests simulated one-way data transfer scenarios for disaster recovery and air-gapped backup environments required by Russian presidential decree No. 604 on critical infrastructure protection. Multiple fio workloads were run for up to five hours under both light and heavy queue-depth profiles with MTU sizes of 1500 and 9000. Results showed that Sinonix introduced minimal overhead in moderate workloads and up to 27 percent reduction under heavy parallel loads when using jumbo frames. The setup replicated multi-tier protective perimeters including synchronous replication, one-way safe zones, and remote immutable storage. The testing confirmed stable long-term operation without degradation or failures across all configurations.
Developers Achieve Native iOS 16 Boot on Redmi Note 10 Pro and Note 12 4G Using Modified Apple XNU Kernel
A team known as dipa-studio has successfully booted iOS 16 natively on Redmi Note 10 Pro and Redmi Note 12 4G devices without any Android layer or emulation. The project relies on an adapted Apple XNU kernel and system components taken from the iOS 16.7.16 firmware of the iPhone X. While basic interface elements such as the Control Center, Notification Center, and Settings app function, the majority of hardware features remain non-operational. No Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, cellular connectivity, audio, cameras, or GPS are available, and the App Store along with Apple ID login are inaccessible. The port disables a significant portion of iOS security mechanisms, and installation wipes all user data from the original Android system. Performance is limited because the CPU renders the interface at roughly 20-30 frames per second without a dedicated graphics driver. The effort is described as purely experimental, with the Redmi Note 12 4G variant currently reaching only the lock screen.
How to Earn a Living Writing Technical Articles on Information Security
A detailed guide examines multiple platforms where technical writers can get paid for publishing articles on information security topics. Skillbox offers payments starting from 3,000 RUB but requires a civil-law contract and tax reporting. Codeby pays 250 RUB per 1,000 characters for relevant technical pieces without contracts, making it suitable for remote workers and privacy-conscious authors. Duty-Free provides a fixed 200 USD per article paid in cryptocurrency, yet operates in a gray area under law-enforcement scrutiny. Xakep.ru compensates authors with variable fees around 150 USD for pentest-related material plus subscription perks. The article also discusses risks of writing for high-paying but questionable resources and provides a roadmap based on long-term career goals.