Random call to 911 and other issues

[GoDaisy]

(Yes, mods I did search the boards for this issue and I didn't see it. Most people want to know how to call 911. I want to know how to stop my phone from doing it by itself!)

Hello, I'm a brand new Verizon customer and was so excited to switch carriers and pick up a new smart phone!

Now I'm not so excited to be a verizon customer with a new smart phone.

Last night I went to use my Samsung charge and of course, it was locked up (again). All the icons were inoperable and the screen was frozen. So, for at least the 5th time of the day, I had to remove and replace the battery and wait for the phone to reboot.

Within a few minutes, I received a call from a number I didn't recognize and the man on the other end identified himself as a county sheriff. He said they received a 911 hang up and it came from my number! I was so confused because I'd done no such thing. He said it was the departments policy to followup and make sure I was okay. I tried to assure him that I was okay, that my phone had been sitting on the table and I had NOT called 911. He then insisted that I give him my address so he could come over to make sure I was okay. Then I got scared....Really really scared since my husband was not home and I was alone and the call seemed so bizarre.  I refused to give him any more information, told him I didn't believe him and hung up. I checked my call log and it didn't show any call to 911.

I was freaked out, so I called my city's non emergency police line and and city officer called me back. I told him what happened and he decided to call the number and call me back. A few minutes later he did.

It turns out that it really WAS a county sheriff and apparently my phone had made a random call to 911 and pinged a tower on the other end of the valley!

 I've learned to live with pulling and replacing the battery multiple times per day. I've learned to live with the lack of battery life. I've learned to live with not having workable bluetooth.

After owning this phone for about 4 months, I already hated it for all the glitches and issues it has but now I am very very very alarmed that my phone makes random calls to 911 and hangs up !! You can be issued a citation and fined ! This I will not live with!!

Verizon, is this the phone causing this?  Is it something in your network? How do I stop this from happening again?? This was extremely stressful for me and I can't have it continue to happen!

[WCMack]

Dear GoDaisy,

This sounds very strange. Do you have 911 set up as a contact? Is it assigned a speed dial number? Might this have been done at the store?

[GoDaisy]

I do not have 911 set up as a contact or have it on my phone in any way for a 'quick' dial situation. The phone was literally locked up (can't dial anything when it's like that) and the battery removed and replaced just prior to the first police officer calling me.

When I spoke to the second officer, he said sometimes the cell phones and networks do funny things and there can be glitches like this.

I checked my usage and no 911 call shows up, nor does it show in my call log. I'm wondering if there is another way for Verizon to confirm what time the 911 call was made? Apparently the only one who has a record of it is the county police department.

I did do some additional research today and found a few situations where dead/low batteries in home cordless phones were dialing 911 without the owner's knowledge. I don't kmow if something like that could happen with a cell, but I know I did not dial 911. Nor was I at the other end of the valley where the police officer thought I had called 911 from.

I have switched my phone to CDMA from LTE hoping that will reduce the lockups and me having to mess with the battery so much, in case that is the cause. It's very frustrating to have purchased a phone for certain features and then you are unable to even use them.

If anyone else has ever heard of this happening, or what can cause it, please let me know !!!!

Thanks ~

[WCMack]

Sorry I could not help. The only other thing I can suggest at this point is to try to test the phone with another battery. I say this because there were some threads a while back about defective batteries that showed that they were charged when in fact they were low. JerryF is the expert on this topic, and has done a lot of hands-on testing. I don't know whether his theory has been confirmed otherwise, but at this point it's worth a try.

However, you would need to have another battery to try in the phone. I don't know if you have access to one, or would need to buy one, which you might not want to do. On the other hand, it could be the source of your lock-up problems, and getting that solved might make the effort/expense worthwhile.

Good luck.

[ChristinaB_VZW]

Hi GoDaisy,

I can definitely understand your frustration regarding the scenario with the sheriff's office contacting you about a 911 call! I have completed some troubleshooting with the Charge, as I use this device myself. With this phone, if you create an additional lock with either a passcode or a pattern that has to be entered, there is a button on the bottom of the phone that says "Emergency Call." If this button is pressed, a 911 call, or any number that has been entered as the emergency number, is able to be dialed.

I see that you mentioned that you were in the middle of resetting the device because the screen was frozen. Do you recall if the screen was frozen on the lock screen when this happened? If so, you may have inadvertently pressed the button for the emergency call. 

If you do not have a lock pattern or a pin code set up for the device, the standard lock (where you connect the puzzle piece) is the default. This screen does not have an option for an emergency call. If you have the additional lock screen set up on the device, you could remove it and set up a different number for the emergency call.

You also have the option of downloading a free application from the Android Market called "ICE," or "In Case of Emergency." You can set up this application with your own personal preferences. Press the Market icon and use ICE as a keyword search.

Below I have provided the steps on how to remove the lock code/pattern for you, if needed.

Removing the lock code/pattern: 

Press "Applications" icon from main screen

Press "Settings"

Press "Location & Security"

Press "Change Screen Lock"

Confirm your current unlock code or pattern by entering it

Press "None"

To set up an emergency call, you can simply program the number as a contact, and then save the number as a speed dial. 

Assigning Speed Dials

1. From the Home screen, touch Contacts.

2. Press the Menu Key, then touch More-> Speed dial.

3. A list of speed dials displays.Touch a speed dial, then touch a contact to assign the contact to the speed dial.

Please let us know if you are still having issues with your phone locking up and having to re-boot it by removing the battery. Do you notice any pattern about when this happens? Are you performing any specific function when the screen freezes? 

Additionally, I want to clarify that any calls to 911 are not listed in your call records online or on your bill due to the fact that these calls are free. Your statement only shows billable calls, so this is the reason you do not see the call in the call log. 

I hope this information is helpful for you. Please post back with any findings or results. 

Thanks very much,

[GoDaisy]

I never changed my screen lock from the puzzle piece and I've never seen a button that said 'emergency call'. So the 911 call is still a mystery. Fortunately, it hasn't happened again.

The phone was locking up while using any app while on LTE automatic. I went ahead and switched it to CDMA mode as other posters have suggested in other threads. It's worked so far. Of course, it is not ideal, considering what I paid for the phone, but it's better than resetting it with the battery all the time. It still gets glitchy, but it hasn't completely locked up or restarted itself since then.

Thanks for your responses everyone.