How to schedule a safety check on your Pixel phone

The Google Pixel phones have a safety feature that can alert your emergency contacts if the phone detects you may be in danger. It can alert friends or family if it seems like the person with the phone may need help. For example, if someone goes hiking, biking, or walking alone, they can set up a “safety check.” This lets contacts know if the person is okay or needs assistance. The safety check function monitors movement and can reach out to emergency contacts if it notices something abnormal. Like if the person suddenly stopped moving for a long time. The goal is to make solo activities safer by giving others a way to check on the person’s wellbeing. Or be notified right away if an emergency happens when the person is alone. The feature offers peace of mind. And that extra layer of protection from knowing help can be called quickly if ever needed during vulnerable times by yourself.

The safety check can also detect car crashes and contact emergency services for you. However, this is only available in the United States, United Kingdom, and Australia currently. You need a Pixel 3 or newer model for this crash detection to work.

This guide will show Pixel phone users how to schedule safety checks and customize the related settings. The aim is to communicate key details in a clear and straightforward way.

How to schedule a safety check

To schedule a safety check on your Pixel phone, follow these steps:

1. Open the Personal Safety app on your phone. This app comes pre-installed on Pixel phones running Android 12 or later. Remember, to use Safety Check, you’ll need to grant background location access to both Google Maps and the Safety app itself.
2. Tap Safety check at the bottom of the screen. If it’s your first time, you’ll be prompted to set it up. Follow the easy on-screen instructions, and you’ll be navigating Safety Check like a pro in no time!
3. Choose your reason and duration for safety check. Feeling apprehensive about a late-night jog? Heading out on a solo hike? Select your reason for initiating the check-in (options range from Walking, Running, Biking, or Other). You can also set the duration, from 15 minutes to up to 8 hours, or custom set it yourself.
4. Pick your guardians. Now, let’s gather your trusted squad! Choose the emergency contacts who’ll receive notifications about your Safety Check. Remember, you can even toggle notifications on or off for each contact, tailoring the experience to your comfort level.
5. Tap Start to begin your safety check. You can cancel it at any time by tapping Cancel check in the app or the notification.

How to customize safety check settings

You can customize some settings for the safety check feature on your Pixel phone. To do that, follow these steps:

1. Open the Personal Safety app on your phone.
2. Tap the Settings icon at the top right corner of the screen.
3. Tap Safety check to access the following options:
   • Respond to safety check: You can choose how you want to respond to the safety check when it expires. You can either Swipe to respond or Use voice to respond. The latter option allows you to say “I’m OK” or “Emergency” to confirm your status.
   • Car crash detection: You can turn on or off the car crash detection feature, which can automatically call 911 if it detects that you’ve been in a car crash. You can also choose which contacts to notify in case of a car crash.
   • Emergency sharing: You can turn on or off the emergency sharing feature, which can automatically share your location with your emergency contacts for 24 hours if you press the power button five times quickly.

That’s it! You’ve learned how to schedule a safety check on your Pixel phone and customize its settings. Stay safe and enjoy your Pixel phone!