911 short cuts need to be able to be opted out of

Bitzzzz wrote:

I am so sick of my toddler getting ahold of my phone and calling 911

I do my best to keep my phone not accessible to her but slip ups happen and I’m not very good at keeping track of it.

I had an officer being a jerk about “misuse of 911” this function is going to cause me genuine legal trouble.

I went in and disabled the ability to call 911 from the side buttons but she has figured out how to open the passcode screen and access emergency services that way.

I called Apple and someone helped me “shut it off” but the next time I went to unlock my phone the emergency shortcut was still in the lower left corner of the screen.

I’ve asked everyone about this but nobody is actually telling me what to do about disabling it, just acting like I’m a bad parent because a child *gasp* sometimes gets ahold of my phone (because that never happened to everyone else…)

I don’t know how I can’t choose to opt out of this like you can on an android.

Sorry, but you can't opt out of being able to make emergency 911 calls. What if you had an actual emergency? When you're not using your phone, maybe something like a belt-clip case from a company like Encased, would make it much more difficult for a toddler to get the phone in their hands. You can find Encased Belt-Clip cases on Amazon.

That's not going to happen. Or at least it's not going to happen without an act of Congress, and I mean that literally.

It would be against the law to disable the ability to call 911. Even cell phones without service are legally required to be able to call 911.

Misuse of 911 can be considered a crime in many areas, yes.

911 emergency access is legally mandated in the US under (IIRC) Title 47 Chapter I Subchapter A Part 9.

All phone manufacturers and carriers must connect 911 calls where technically feasible.

What to do?

Keep the cellular device away from the toddler.

Whether that might be in a locked box, or by removing it entirely from the area, or otherwise.

If Android serves your needs better, by all means use it. Though Android too will here operate similarly, as this 911 access is regulated.

Citations:

https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-47/chapter-I/subchapter-A/part-9

https://www.etsi.org/deliver/etsi_ts/122100_122199/122101/09.01.00_60/ts_122101v090100p.pdf (from 2008, and probably earlier)

ME is Mobike Equipment; a phone, or such.

Your child must be incredibly gifted in order to get past a 6 digit passcode without entering it incorrectly in 10 tries or less out of one million possible combinations. After which, the phone would be locked.

It isn't hard to hide a cell phone from a toddler. Like the top shelf of a kitchen cabinet, and numerous other places they can't reach.

Bitzzzz wrote:

If I had an actual emergency, I could press the whole four buttons required to open my phone and dial 911.

It’s not really enough of a shortcut cause this much of a hassle for parents just to save you a few extra button taps.

if I wanted to disable it and take that “risk” it should be within my right to do so, as MANY other cell phone companies offer.

if I am so inhibited that I can press a few buttons chances are I’m not in a position to use the phone at all.

So you turned off the tap the power button 5 times feature to call 911, which you can certainly do. But if your toddler is a genius as you describe in that they can open your phone with your passcode, then you the parent, need to find a way to keep the phone out of your child's hands.

Or if you honestly think other cell manufacturers really do offer a better solution, maybe you should consider buying one of those other phones.

This is a user to user only forum. We don't work for Apple. Apple isn't here and we can't change anything about how iPhone operates.

I'll depart this conversation and wish you and you clearly extremely intelligent toddler happy holidays.

LD150 wrote:

Kurt Lang wrote:

Your child must be incredibly gifted in order to get past a 6 digit passcode without entering it incorrectly in 10 tries or less out of one million possible combinations. After which, the phone would be locked.

It isn't hard to hide a cell phone from a toddler. Like the top shelf of a kitchen cabinet, and numerous other places they can't reach.

They only need to tap "Emergency" on the keypad page to open a phone keypad for 911, 999 according to country

However, if the phone was treated like medication, and never left around, there would not

be problem.

We've all heard of Elf on a Shelf. How about iPhone on a shelf:

Bitzzzz wrote:

I don’t know how I can’t choose to opt out of this like you can on an android.

Phone manufacturers may well be prohibited by law from doing that. Carriers are required, by law, to put through 911 calls even if the phone is not registered with their service (or even any service at all). It makes sense that phone manufacturers may also be required to meet certain minimum requirements for making a 911 call.

What if you were the one unconscious and someone else needed to use your phone to call for help for you?

I'm sure, as a parent, you keep medications, sharp knives, cleaning products, and firearms where your toddler can't reach them. If you can do it with those things, you can do it with your phone. I have faith in your abilities.

Kurt Lang wrote:

Your child must be incredibly gifted in order to get past a 6 digit passcode without entering it incorrectly in 10 tries or less out of one million possible combinations. After which, the phone would be locked.

It isn't hard to hide a cell phone from a toddler. Like the top shelf of a kitchen cabinet, and numerous other places they can't reach.

They only need to tap "Emergency" on the keypad page to open a phone keypad for 911, 999 according to country

However, if the phone was treated like medication, and never left around, there would not

be problem.