Americans Can Now Call 911 from Skype

One of the things that have been stable about Skype is the disclaimer that it cannot be used for emergency calls. Well, now it’s about to change, at least for one country. Now American users can call 911 from Skype even if they are not connected to any cellular network and only connected through Wi-Fi.

The recent update, version 8.80, brings mostly emergency-focused updates. Along with support for 911, it also brings the ability to share the location with the emergency services. This ability is limited (in case you’re concerned about security) and only activated when you’re making a 911 call. Of course, the location services on your devices should be active, and the landscape should not block the satellite signal for your receiver to do its job. In addition, you will need to enter Settings, go to Privacy, and activate 911 emergency location sharing.

This ability is active on all the devices that support Skype. Now you can make emergency calls from mobile devices as well as computers and even tablets. In certain situations, this can be literally lifesaving, if there is no working phone or cellular signal.

This change seems local, but it may be the sign of a shift from traditional cellular phone communication to Internet-based one. After the USA, this feature may be activated in other countries if Microsoft negotiates it with local authorities. More than that: this signifies more equal collaboration between corporations and states. Another step to the new world that may be braver than you can imagine.

Has there ever been a situation in your life when you had to call 911 on Internet? Did you ever intend to call 911 from Skype? Do you still see the disclaimer that Skype cannot make emergency calls or no? Let’s discuss it in the comments and hope you don’t have to check it practically.