Google has activated its Emergency Location Service, or ELS, in India for the first time. The rollout starts in Uttar Pradesh, where the feature has been integrated into the state’s 112 emergency response system to help first responders locate callers faster during emergencies.
ELS is built into Android and is designed for situations where callers are unable to clearly share their location due to panic, weak network signals, or sudden call drops. When a user makes an emergency call or sends an SMS to 112 or another supported emergency number, the system automatically sends precise location details to emergency services without any manual action from the user.
The service uses the Android Fused Location Provider, which combines data from GPS, Wi Fi, and cellular networks to calculate the caller’s position. Google says ELS can often deliver location accuracy within a 50 meter radius. Along with location coordinates, the system can also share the device’s language setting, helping emergency operators communicate more effectively with callers. ELS works on smartphones running Android 6.0 and above and does not require any separate app or hardware.
Uttar Pradesh is the first state in India to fully implement ELS through a partnership between the Uttar Pradesh Police and Pert Telecom Solutions Pvt Ltd. The technology is directly connected to the UP112 command infrastructure, allowing police, medical, and fire services to view caller locations instantly and dispatch help without delay.
Before the full rollout, the system was pilot tested for several months across the state. During this phase, ELS supported more than 20 million emergency calls and SMS messages. The tests showed that the system could identify caller locations even when calls dropped seconds after connecting. PertSol’s routing intelligence works with the UP112 platform to ensure the right emergency teams are sent to the location.
Google has stressed that privacy is built into ELS. The service activates only during emergency calls or messages, does not track users in the background, and sends location data directly from the device to emergency services. The information is not collected by or shared with Google.
ELS is already active in over 60 countries and is expected to expand to other Indian states as emergency systems adopt the technology.
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