If "Location services" are turned off the app does not have root capability to turn them on so cannot provide a location.
It uses Google Maps to find a street address and display it. If one is at a location with no street address, as I am, it displays "%s" instead of a street address. "%s" is a programming directive used to inform the language compiler it is expected to print an ASCII string it should never be seen by the user. Whilst this, in itself, is a minor bug it indicates testing of the app has been cursory and slipshod and makes me concerned how many more "corner case" bugs there are perhaps far more serious?
The text on the Play Store clearly states the app uses "What Three Words". I can find no indication in or from the app this is the case and it certainly does not display a W3W location string.
This is an *emergency* software application the above matters should not have occurred. Amateurs.
Tony LEE said
07:48 AM Oct 4, 2020
I installed w3w as well and that made no difference to whether Emergency offered w3w option.
Looking at w3w, seems to me that many of the words are such that saying them under stressful situations, especially by the huge numbers whose first language is not English (Australian English at that) is going to be very prone to errors and might require carefully spelling out long unusual words.
Eg https://w3w.co/communicated.notated.gnat
https://w3w.co/philosophers.determining.removed
https://w3w.co/heavily.carting.longingly
This 3 word address refers to an exact 3m x 3m location. Tap the link or enter the 3 words into the free what3words app to find it.
This 3 word address refers to an exact 3m x 3m location. Tap the link or enter the 3 words into the free what3words app to find it.
This 3 word address refers to an exact 3m x 3m location. Tap the link or enter the 3 words into the free what3words app to find it.
Coordinates seem to be less likely to get wrong.
-- Edited by Tony LEE on Sunday 4th of October 2020 08:02:55 AM
dabbler said
09:37 AM Oct 4, 2020
Join the beta program and offer your experience Mike. When location services are turned off, my Emergency+ (Android), it requests location services but can still be used if you cancel the request. When location services are turned off, w3w needs a street address and can't find your current location.They are chalk and cheese as far as being usable in an emergency situation partly because w3w is merely a means to display location information on your device.
Ozzie_Traveller said
03:57 PM Oct 6, 2020
G'day all
While it seems "us ol' farts" are comfortable with '000' - I can recall something from Telstra 8 - 10 years ago saying that they have had to introduce a call diversion process for emergency calls
When the caller dialled "911" the Telstra voice said 'Australia uses triple-zero for emergencies - you are being transferred now"
Phil
Tony LEE said
11:05 AM Oct 25, 2020
Emergency Plus
Your rating:
It might get 5 stars if you would explain where my three words comes into the picture. No obvious reference to it when you open the app, just normal coordinates
Developer response:
Hi Tony, New update that is now accepting what3words is still in beta testing. Great news though, we can confirm it's ready to release at the end of October 2020 ;)
Mike Harding said
05:42 PM Oct 27, 2020
Tony LEE wrote:Looking at w3w, seems to me that many of the words are such that saying them under stressful situations, especially by the huge numbers whose first language is not English (Australian English at that) is going to be very prone to errors and might require carefully spelling out long unusual words.
Apologies; I intended to reply to this at the time but didn't?
I agree.
Wishing to obtain a W3W string for my present location I wandered around for a few minutes before finding a string I thought suitable for exactly the reason you highlight above.
In fairness to W3W it was not developed for emergency situations but rather so that eg. delivery drivers could identify a specific loading bay and similar applications but it seems to have morphed into an emergency thing too as, sadly, so few people have any idea of maps or coordinate systems.
----
>New update that is now accepting what3words is still in beta testing.
This simply confirms my sense of it being a utility produced by amateurs. If it currently does not provide a W3W string then they should not be saying it does in the release notes!
StreetsAhead said
03:08 PM Nov 6, 2020
I note today that the Emergency Plus App on my phone has now updated with "What3Words" So now as soon as I press the App the main screen comes up with a Google Map, my Longitude and Latitude co-ordinates and also three words.
As long as I have a phone signal I am all good. If out of signal range I can still get the the information but have no way of relaying it to Emergency Services. (Now where did I leave that carrier pigeon).
Tony LEE said
05:21 PM Nov 6, 2020
"As long as I have a phone signal I am all good. If out of signal range I can still get the the information but have no way of relaying it to Emergency Services. (Now where did I leave that carrier pigeon)."
-
-
Or use a Garmin Inreach tracker
Xtrk138 said
06:06 PM Nov 12, 2020
The latest update of Emergency Plus on I phone has ' what3words' showing below the conventional Latitude and Longitude location with 3 words for your current location below.
I'm using the Android version.
If "Location services" are turned off the app does not have root capability to turn them on so cannot provide a location.
It uses Google Maps to find a street address and display it. If one is at a location with no street address, as I am, it displays "%s" instead of a street address. "%s" is a programming directive used to inform the language compiler it is expected to print an ASCII string it should never be seen by the user. Whilst this, in itself, is a minor bug it indicates testing of the app has been cursory and slipshod and makes me concerned how many more "corner case" bugs there are perhaps far more serious?
The text on the Play Store clearly states the app uses "What Three Words". I can find no indication in or from the app this is the case and it certainly does not display a W3W location string.
This is an *emergency* software application the above matters should not have occurred. Amateurs.
I installed w3w as well and that made no difference to whether Emergency offered w3w option.
Looking at w3w, seems to me that many of the words are such that saying them under stressful situations, especially by the huge numbers whose first language is not English (Australian English at that) is going to be very prone to errors and might require carefully spelling out long unusual words.
Eg https://w3w.co/communicated.notated.gnat
https://w3w.co/philosophers.determining.removed
https://w3w.co/heavily.carting.longingly
This 3 word address refers to an exact 3m x 3m location. Tap the link or enter the 3 words into the free what3words app to find it.
This 3 word address refers to an exact 3m x 3m location. Tap the link or enter the 3 words into the free what3words app to find it.
This 3 word address refers to an exact 3m x 3m location. Tap the link or enter the 3 words into the free what3words app to find it.
Coordinates seem to be less likely to get wrong.
-- Edited by Tony LEE on Sunday 4th of October 2020 08:02:55 AM
While it seems "us ol' farts" are comfortable with '000' - I can recall something from Telstra 8 - 10 years ago saying that they have had to introduce a call diversion process for emergency calls
When the caller dialled "911" the Telstra voice said 'Australia uses triple-zero for emergencies - you are being transferred now"
Phil
Your rating:
It might get 5 stars if you would explain where my three words comes into the picture. No obvious reference to it when you open the app, just normal coordinates
Developer response:
Hi Tony, New update that is now accepting what3words is still in beta testing. Great news though, we can confirm it's ready to release at the end of October 2020 ;)
Apologies; I intended to reply to this at the time but didn't?
I agree.
Wishing to obtain a W3W string for my present location I wandered around for a few minutes before finding a string I thought suitable for exactly the reason you highlight above.
In fairness to W3W it was not developed for emergency situations but rather so that eg. delivery drivers could identify a specific loading bay and similar applications but it seems to have morphed into an emergency thing too as, sadly, so few people have any idea of maps or coordinate systems.
----
>New update that is now accepting what3words is still in beta testing.
This simply confirms my sense of it being a utility produced by amateurs. If it currently does not provide a W3W string then they should not be saying it does in the release notes!
I note today that the Emergency Plus App on my phone has now updated with "What3Words" So now as soon as I press the App the main screen comes up with a Google Map, my Longitude and Latitude co-ordinates and also three words.
As long as I have a phone signal I am all good. If out of signal range I can still get the the information but have no way of relaying it to Emergency Services. (Now where did I leave that carrier pigeon).
The latest update of Emergency Plus on I phone has ' what3words' showing below the conventional Latitude and Longitude location with 3 words for your current location below.