For the series “oddities from around the world,” the proposed law in India that requires all phones, smartphones and non-smartphones alike, to have a panic button included, ranks high!

The law, which should come into force from January 1, 2017, is very useful in itself, but it is so categorical that, in case of non-compliance, phones that are not equipped with this device will be excluded from the market.

Having a GPS will not be enough, nor will knowing emergency numbers; all major operators in the sector will have to modify the devices on the market to include an additional physical button that, when pressed, can send the GPS location to emergency services, or set the power button so that, when pressed for a long time, it sends the distress call.

But the requests do not end here: new smartphone devices must not require the use of the display and therefore the touchscreen to send the request, while for mobile phones with a numeric keypad, they must activate the request by pressing a particular key.

For this reason, iOS devices will not be able to enjoy the services that were already integrated, as the emergency call, which starts even with the iPhone locked, is activated by swiping the screen to the left.

Apple, for example, is focusing heavily on expanding into the Indian market, so we can deduce that it will do everything to meet these requests, but it will probably not change the aesthetics of its smartphones to include an additional button and will therefore adopt the second option; associating the sending of geographic coordinates with pressing the power button three times in a row.

One thing is certain, if I think about how many times with the phone in my pocket or bag, I have made calls, written messages, or changed settings, due to the ease with which phones and smartphones unlock, I foresee that many unaware and healthy people will see the emergency services arrive.