Google says that it isn't in the business of collecting location data and that it's new feature is "solely for the use of emergency service providers." It is only sent when you make an emergency call, either directly to an operator or via your mobile network. The good news is that EE, BT, Three, Vodafone and O2 are all on board at launch.

Because the feature is enabled via a Google Play Services update, 99 percent of existing Android devices (Android 2.3 and up) are capable of supporting the Emergency Location Service. It's already live in the UK and Estonia but Google says it is "actively engaging with more countries and operators" to make it available in new territories.