It was designed to send emergency alerts to friends and family.
But as one user found out, a little-known feature on Google Pixel phones can backfire – with embarrassing consequences.
One male Pixel owner has been left red-faced after accidentally triggering the Emergency SOS tool on his device when half asleep.
The nude sleeper, who goes by the name ‘AssistancePretend668’ on Reddit, was mortified to discover he had sent a video of his bare crotch to his closest contacts.
‘Emergency SOS…the new way to send nudes to friends,’ he posted on his viral Reddit thread.
He added: ‘Pixel’s SOS features are a great way to send d**k pics to people, folks.’
If you’re worried about making the same mistake, don’t worry – you can easily turn off Emergency SOS in your device’s settings.
Scroll down to find out how!
AssistancePretend668 accidentally sent a clip of his naked body to his emergency contacts thanks to Emergency SOS. Pictured, a frame from the footage with a purple heart obscuring the naked crotch
On a Pixel smartphone, Emergency SOS is activated by quickly pressing the power button five times or more – resulting in a ‘blaring siren sound’.
The feature not only calls emergency services but has an option to send a freshly-recorded video clip to chosen emergency contacts.
Reddit user AssistancePretend668 said he woke up to his normal morning alarm and reached over to ‘press buttons to shut it up’.
But in the process, the nude sleeper ‘somehow hit the power button 5x and set off Emergency SOS’, he explained in his post.
‘The gentle ringing alarm turns into that blaring siren sound, jolting me about 5ft in the air, scrambling to stop it.
‘I grab my phone and look at the screen (still half asleep). I see the notifications for “calling 911” and stuff about sending location and whatever else to emergency contacts.
‘I’m thinking “S*** emergency services are going to come, my friends will get scared, and I’m just laying here naked in bed!!”‘
Unfortunately, the feature sent newly-recorded point-of-view footage of his naked crotch to 12 of his emergency contacts.
AssistancePretend668 accidentally sent a clip of his naked body to his emergency contacts thanks to Emergency SOS
Before long, the ‘phone starts ringing and texts start coming in’ from his astonished contacts, although luckily ‘nobody was upset or offended’.
He said: ‘Friends are concerned…but not so much about my safety but rather that MY PIXEL SENT EVERYBODY PHOTO/VIDEO OF ME NAKED.
‘My embarrassment gave everyone a jolly start to their day or a fun 1am booty call, depending on time zone.’
The post received more than 1,000 up-votes and some hilarious replies from fellow Reddit users, including one who said: ‘Sleeping naked is always such a gamble.’
Another posted: ‘Lol yep i’m deleting everyone off my emergency contacts list as we speak. That is way too risky for my liking..’
Other users were surprised that Pixel phones send footage when Emergency SOS is activated – although the video feature can be toggled on and off.
One said: ‘That could be a little scary even in a true emergency. like what if something truly gruesome happened to me and i accidentally sent all my emergency contacts gore.’
Emergency SOS can be easily turned on and off, although it can be a hugely valuable tool in an actual emergency.
Pixel is Google’s line of smartphones running Android. Pictured, the Google Pixel 9 Pro, released in August 2024
The point of Emergency SOS is to make it easier to alert loved-ones and emergency services when you cannot type at your screen or if time is of the essence.
To turn on Emergency SOS, head to the Settings app, tap on the ‘Safety & Emergency’ option followed by ‘Emergency SOS’ and ‘Turn on Emergency SOS’.
Then tap ‘Start Setup’ to set up your emergency actions – including call emergency services, share info with emergency contacts and record a video.
Alternatively, if you have ‘Emergency SOS’ switched on, under ‘How it works’, press the settings cog icon and select ‘Turn off Emergency SOS’.
