Skype Users Can Now Call 911 From Desktop

Skype has introduced the service in the US after Australia, Denmark, Finland, and the UK.

Skype Users Can Now Call 911 From Desktop

Users are encouraged to not make an emergency call through Skype when outside their homes

Highlights
  • Skype’s move to enable 911 calls comes with a few limitations
  • It cautions that service doesn't operate same as a traditional phone call
  • With Skype 8.80 update users can now leave a five-minute voice message
Advertisement

Skype has announced that its US users can now use the platform to dial 911 from their home computer and that its software can share their location with emergency services if required.

According to The Verge, the US is the latest addition to the list of regions with a Skype emergency service calling feature. Until now it was only available in Australia, Denmark, Finland, and the UK.

This move from Skype to enable 911 calls comes with a few limitations, but could be crucial for users who still have an adequate Internet connection when they lose access to a cellphone or landline in an emergency.

In a 'Notice and Disclosures' warning that appears before opting in to location-sharing, Skype cautions that the service doesn't operate the same as a traditional phone call.

Users are encouraged to not make an emergency call through Skype when outside of their home region since the call could potentially be rerouted elsewhere.

It also made clear that a Skype outage, internet problems, or power outage in the area could cut off calls in situations where a traditional telephone would still work.

In addition to making 911 calls with Skype 8.80, users can now leave a five-minute voice message instead of capping off at two minutes.

As per The Verge, users will also notice the choice of light or dark mode while they're on a call, can send custom reactions, and have the ability to zoom in or out when they share their screen.


Can Realme 9 Pro and 9 Pro+ win their respective segments? We discuss this on Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast. Orbital is available on Spotify, Gaana, JioSaavn, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and wherever you get your podcasts.
Affiliate links may be automatically generated - see our ethics statement for details.
Comments

For the latest tech news and reviews, follow Gadgets 360 on X, Facebook, WhatsApp, Threads and Google News. For the latest videos on gadgets and tech, subscribe to our YouTube channel. If you want to know everything about top influencers, follow our in-house Who'sThat360 on Instagram and YouTube.

Further reading: Skype, Emergency Call, 911
Google Pixel 7, Pixel 7 Pro Under Development; May Come With New Tensor GS201 SoC, Samsung Exynos Modem: Report
Share on Facebook Gadgets360 Twitter Share Tweet Snapchat Share Reddit Comment google-newsGoogle News
 
 

Advertisement

Follow Us

Advertisement

© Copyright Red Pixels Ventures Limited 2024. All rights reserved.
Trending Products »
Latest Tech News »