Accidental emergency calls from your Android lock screen can be a serious nuisance, but there are several ways to prevent them, such as changing your emergency SOS settings, removing shortcuts, and enabling protective features to avoid accidentally calling emergency services.
How to reduce accidental emergency calls on Android
Follow these methods step by step to secure your device and prevent unwanted dials.
Method 1: Changing Emergency SOS settings
- Open your Android’s Settings app by tapping the gear icon or swiping down and tapping the gear icon.
- Tap Safety and emergency. Note: This menu name varies by manufacturer; look for “Passwords & security” if you don’t see it.
- Tap Emergency SOS.
- Tap the switch next to Require swipe to call to turn it on. This ensures pressing the side button five times requires a swipe confirmation.
- Restart your phone to apply the changes. Warning: Some users suggest changing the emergency number to “0”, but this often resets automatically and is not a reliable fix.
Method 2: Turning off Double tap to turn on screen
- Open Settings.
- Tap Advanced features.
- Tap Motions and gestures.
- Tap the toggle next to Double tap to turn on screen to turn it off. This prevents the screen from waking while in a pocket or purse.
Method 3: Removing the Phone app from the lock screen
- Open Settings.
- Tap Lock screen.
- Tap Edit Lock screen. Alternatively, lock your screen, then tap and hold the display to edit.
- Tap the phone icon in the corner.
- Select a different app, such as Calculator or Flashlight, or choose No app.
- Tap Done in the top right corner to save the changes.
Method 4: Enabling Accidental touch protection
- Open Settings.
- Tap Display.
- Tap the toggle next to Accidental touch protection to turn it on. This uses the ambient light sensor to disable touch when the phone is dark.
- If the feature malfunctions, turn it off, restart the phone, turn it back on, and restart again to clear sensor glitches.
- Check that your phone case does not cover the ambient light sensor.
Method 5: Disabling the lock screen (Not recommended)
- Open Settings.
- Tap Lock screen and AOD or a similar menu name depending on your device.
- Tap Screen lock type.
- Tap None. Warning: This removes all security, making your phone accessible to anyone, and you will need to re-enter biometric settings for apps.
After implementing these changes, test your lock screen by pressing the side button to ensure the emergency call feature requires a swipe or does not trigger immediately. You should also check that the screen does not wake up accidentally when you move your phone around.
If you find that accidental calls still occur, revisit Method 4 and ensure the ambient light sensor is unobstructed by a thick case or screen protector. Keeping your software updated is also important, as manufacturers sometimes release patches that improve touch sensitivity and accidental touch protection.
