Setting up your iPhone’s emergency features may not be something you think about every day, but taking a few minutes to configure them could make a significant difference during an emergency.
Apple’s Medical ID, Emergency Contacts and Emergency SOS features are designed to provide important medical information to first responders and automatically notify people you trust if something serious happens.
The best time to set up these features is before you need them. It’s also worth reviewing your information periodically because medications, allergies, medical conditions and emergency contacts can change over time.
How to Set Up Medical ID on iPhone
Your Medical ID stores important health information that can be accessed during an emergency, even when your iPhone is locked.
To create or update your Medical ID:
- Open the Health app.
- Tap your profile picture in the top-right corner.
- Select Medical ID.
- Tap Edit.
- Enter or update your relevant information.
Depending on your iPhone and region, you can add information such as:
- Name
- Age
- Medical conditions
- Allergies
- Medications
- Blood type
- Height
- Weight
- Organ donor status
- Emergency contacts
- Additional medical notes
Providing accurate information can help emergency responders better understand your situation if you’re unable to communicate.
Enable “Show When Locked”
One of the most important Medical ID settings is Show When Locked.
When enabled, someone can access your Medical ID from the iPhone’s lock screen without knowing your passcode.
They can typically tap:
Emergency → Medical ID
This can allow first responders or someone helping you to view critical information without unlocking your iPhone.
If your goal is to make Medical ID useful during an emergency, keeping this option enabled is important.
Enable Medical ID Sharing During an Emergency Call
Depending on your region and iPhone configuration, you may also see an option to share Medical ID information during an emergency call.
When available, enabling this feature can allow relevant information to be shared with emergency services without requiring you to verbally provide every detail.
Review the information carefully before enabling it and make sure your Medical ID is up to date.
How to Add Emergency Contacts
Emergency Contacts are people you want to be notified if you use Emergency SOS.
You can add them directly from your Medical ID:
- Open the Health app.
- Tap your profile picture.
- Select Medical ID.
- Tap Edit.
- Scroll down to Emergency Contacts.
- Tap Add Emergency Contact.
- Select someone from your Contacts.
- Choose your relationship with that person.
- Add additional contacts if necessary.
- Tap Done when finished.
It’s a good idea to add more than one emergency contact if possible. If one person isn’t available, another trusted contact may still be able to respond.
What Happens When You Use Emergency SOS?
Emergency Contacts can be notified when you use Emergency SOS, depending on your settings and location.
After an emergency call, your iPhone can send your emergency contacts a notification and may share your location with them.
This means your trusted contacts can potentially know that something has happened and where you are.
Keep in mind that Emergency SOS is different from seeing “SOS” in your iPhone’s status bar. The latter generally indicates that your iPhone isn’t connected to your normal cellular network.
How to Use Emergency SOS on iPhone
On many recent iPhone models, you can activate Emergency SOS by pressing and holding the:
Side button + either Volume button
After holding the buttons, an Emergency SOS countdown appears.
You can also configure an option called Call with 5 Presses, which allows you to activate Emergency SOS by quickly pressing the Side button five times.
To review these options:
Settings → Emergency SOS
Available settings can vary depending on your iPhone model and region.
Be Careful With Automatic Emergency Calls
Emergency SOS is designed to help you quickly contact emergency services, but it can also be activated accidentally.
If you accidentally start an emergency call, don’t simply hang up.
Stay on the line and explain to the emergency operator that the call was accidental.
This helps prevent emergency services from unnecessarily responding to a false alarm.
What Is “Call Quietly”?
Depending on your iPhone and region, Emergency SOS may provide an option called Call Quietly.
When enabled, the countdown and warning sounds can be disabled.
While this can be useful in certain circumstances, it also makes it easier to accidentally trigger an emergency call without noticing the warning.
For most people, it’s worth understanding exactly how this setting works before enabling it.
Emergency SOS After a Severe Crash
Some newer iPhone models can detect a severe car crash.
When supported, the iPhone can attempt to contact emergency services if it detects a serious accident and you don’t respond to the prompts.
This feature can be particularly useful if you’re injured or unconscious and unable to make an emergency call yourself.
Crash Detection availability varies by iPhone model, region and other factors.
Use Emergency Bypass for Important Contacts
Another useful emergency-related feature is Emergency Bypass.
This allows calls or text notifications from a specific contact to make a sound even when your iPhone is muted or a Focus mode is active.
To enable it:
- Open the Contacts app.
- Select the person.
- Tap Edit.
- Select Ringtone or Text Tone.
- Enable Emergency Bypass.
- Tap Done.
You can enable it for calls, messages or both.
This feature is useful for trusted people who may need to reach you even when your phone is silenced.
However, use it selectively because notifications from that person can bypass your normal silent settings.
Add Forgotten Emergency Contacts From Contacts
If you forgot to add someone to your Medical ID, you can also open their contact card and look for the option to add them as an emergency contact.
Review your emergency contact list periodically and remove people who should no longer be notified.
Can You Text 911 From an iPhone?
In some locations, emergency services support text-to-911.
Availability depends on your local emergency service provider and region.
Calling emergency services is generally preferable when you can safely speak because a phone conversation allows the operator to ask questions and gather information more quickly.
However, texting can be useful if:
- You can’t safely speak
- You have difficulty communicating verbally
- Speaking could put you in danger
- Your local emergency service supports text messages
Always check whether text-to-emergency services are available in your area.
Emergency Satellite Features on iPhone
Newer iPhone models also support satellite-based emergency features in supported countries and regions.
On compatible devices, satellite connectivity can help users contact emergency services or send emergency information when they don’t have normal cellular or Wi-Fi coverage.
On supported iPhones, you can find satellite-related options through Control Center or relevant Emergency SOS prompts.
Satellite features are not available everywhere, and availability depends on the iPhone model, country or region and Apple’s current service support.
Why You Should Set Up Medical ID Today
Emergency features are only useful if you’ve configured them before something happens.
Take a few minutes to:
- Create your Medical ID
- Add your allergies
- Add important medications
- Add relevant medical conditions
- Confirm your blood type if known
- Add trusted emergency contacts
- Enable appropriate lock-screen access
- Review Emergency SOS settings
- Understand how to activate Emergency SOS
- Check whether satellite emergency features are available on your iPhone
You should also review this information regularly to make sure it remains accurate.
Final Thoughts
Your iPhone can do much more than make emergency calls. With Medical ID, Emergency Contacts, Emergency SOS, Crash Detection, Emergency Bypass and satellite emergency features, it can provide valuable assistance when you may not be able to help yourself.
The important thing is to configure these features before an emergency occurs.
Spend a few minutes checking your settings today. Make sure your medical information is accurate, your emergency contacts are current and you know how to activate Emergency SOS.
It could make a meaningful difference when you need help most.
