Connect with us

Mobile

Verizon Galaxy Nexus Jelly Bean Hidden Feature Could Save Your Life

Published

on

While it likely won’t be one of the features touted by Verizon when the Verizon Galaxy Nexus Jelly Bean update arrives, the new Cell Broadcast Settings Menu could be one of the most important features coming along with the device’s Android 4.1 Jelly Bean.

Earlier this week, the Verizon Galaxy Nexus Jelly Bean update leaked out in test build form, allowing owners who want to install the update early the ability to do so.

And while the update provided owners access with features like offline voice dictation and the new speedy user interface, another hidden feature has been discovered within the update, one that may just end up saving a life or two down the road.

Read: Verizon Galaxy Nexus Jelly Bean Update Leak Now Easier to Install.

cell

The Verizon Galaxy Nexus will come with an important, but likely hidden feature.

Droid-Life found a feature in the Verizon Galaxy Nexus’ settings and its a Cell Broadcast Settings Menu that allows owners to enable emergency alerts for their area.

It can be found when heading into Settings then Wireless & Networks and then into Cell Broadcasts.

Galaxy Nexus owners will have the ability to turn on alerts for Extreme Threats, for Severe Threats, and Amber Alerts. These options are joined by a host of others but those are the main ones.

The phone will even speak the emergency alert if the option is enabled.

Read: When Will My Phone Get Jelly Bean.

Of course, the feature is included on a test build of the software so it’s unclear if it will be heading out with the official version but we don’t see any reason why it wouldn’t at this point.

What’s odd is that the feature doesn’t seem to be in Jelly Bean for the GSM Nexus and it’s certainly not on my Verizon Galaxy Nexus that’s running Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich.

Owners of other Android devices say that they have had access to something similar for awhile now but Galaxy Nexus owners on Verizon certainly do not have this feature.

Apple will be bringing similar functionality to iPhone users with iOS 6 and it appears that both services are part of the Safe Port act which was signed into law by George Bush. The system relies on Broadcast SMS to push notifications to smartphones for weather threats, Amber alerts and Presidential alerts.

3 Comments

3 Comments

  1. Rick E. Schwartz

    08/31/2012 at 1:50 pm

    Love your blog, but this feature isn’t new to Android 4.1. A Galaxy S III running Android 4.0.4 has an Emergency alert settings page with access to the same “Extreme, Severe and Amber alerts.” More info: https://www.phonearena.com/news/How-to-stop-those-annoying-emergency-alerts-on-your-Verizon-or-Sprint-Samsung-Galaxy-S-III_id33400

  2. Imfallible

    08/31/2012 at 10:35 pm

    This feature was recently auto-added (or at least activated) on my much older Droid 2 global and was on my wife’s Verizon S3. We found it incredibly annoying, going off every 15 minutes one day for a flash flood warning for an area probably 50 miles from where we were. Finally figured out how to disable all but the “presidential warnings”. I agree it may save someone’s life, but like a car alarm most people are going to ignore it and try to find a way to just turn it off.

  3. Edward

    09/02/2012 at 1:31 am

    A good global initiative by the governments to alert people of possible danger.
    Definitely the information should only contains relevant information and being broadcasted towards relevant area. Area for improvements there to prevent people not willing to be rescued, turning of the live saving functionality!!!
    Cell Broadcast is capable to target an area with the granularity of coverage of a single cell.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.