The SOS alert is the most time-sensitive feature we build. When someone triggers it, every millisecond between trigger and notification matters. Here is exactly what happens — from the moment someone presses the power button five times to the moment you receive the alert.
Triggering the SOS
The SafeOrbit360 agent listens for a specific hardware button pattern: five rapid presses of the power button within 2.5 seconds. This pattern was chosen because it is physically accessible even with one hand, distinctive enough to avoid accidental triggers, and does not require the screen to be unlocked.
On Android 11+, the built-in Emergency SOS system can conflict with our implementation. The agent detects this and uses a fallback trigger method — a long-press volume combination — on affected devices.
The First 3 Seconds
Within 1 second of detection: the agent logs a timestamped SOS event locally, captures a GPS coordinate snapshot, and begins a connection attempt to our backend API even if the prior connection was idle. Within 2 seconds: the backend receives the SOS packet and immediately queues notifications to all registered emergency contacts. Within 3 seconds: push notifications are dispatched via FCM to all admin devices simultaneously.
Ambient Audio Recording
If the Microphone permission has been granted, the agent starts a 60-second ambient audio recording the moment SOS is triggered. The audio is uploaded to encrypted cloud storage in real-time chunks (10-second segments) rather than waiting for the full recording to complete. This ensures that even if the device loses connectivity after 20 seconds, you have 20 seconds of audio rather than nothing.
Offline SOS Behavior
If the device is offline when SOS is triggered, the agent stores the event locally and enters high-frequency retry mode — attempting to connect every 5 seconds rather than every 30 seconds. The SOS packet is marked as high-priority in the retry queue and bypasses normal sync scheduling.
When connectivity is restored, the SOS event is transmitted with its original timestamp, so the notification you receive is clearly labeled as a delayed SOS, not a live one.
Testing Your SOS Setup
We strongly recommend testing the SOS system after setup. From your dashboard, navigate to Device Settings → SOS Test. This fires a simulated SOS event that sends real notifications (marked as TEST) to all emergency contacts. Run this test within 24 hours of initial setup and whenever you change emergency contact numbers.