How to Set Up Emergency SOS on Your Phone
Learn how to set up and use the Emergency SOS feature on your iPhone or Android phone to quickly call for help and share your location.
What you will learn
You will learn how to enable the Emergency SOS feature on your iPhone or Android phone, set up emergency contacts, test that everything works, and understand how to activate it in a real emergency.
What you need
- A smartphone (iPhone or Android)
- The phone numbers of people you want as emergency contacts (family members or close friends)
Step 1: Open your phone settings
On iPhone, tap Settings on your home screen. On Android, swipe down from the top of the screen and tap the gear icon, or find Settings in your app list. This is where you control all your phone’s features, including emergency options.
Step 2: Find the Emergency SOS settings
On iPhone, scroll down in Settings and tap Emergency SOS. On Android, tap Safety and Emergency or Safety (the exact name depends on your phone brand). On Samsung phones, look for Safety and Emergency under Settings. On Google Pixel phones, tap Safety then Emergency SOS.
Step 3: Turn on Emergency SOS
On iPhone, make sure Call with Hold and Release is turned on. This lets you hold the side button and a volume button together to start an emergency call. On Android, turn on the Emergency SOS toggle. Some Android phones let you press the power button quickly five times to trigger the call.
Step 4: Set up your emergency contacts
On iPhone, tap Set Up Emergency Contacts in Health or open the Health app, tap your profile picture, then tap Medical ID. Tap Edit and scroll to Emergency Contacts. Tap Add Emergency Contact and choose someone from your contacts list.
On Android, go back to Safety and Emergency and tap Emergency Contacts. Tap Add Contact and select the people you want to notify during an emergency.
Step 5: Enable automatic location sharing
On iPhone, go back to Settings, then Emergency SOS, and turn on Share in Emergency Call. Your phone will automatically send your location to your emergency contacts after an SOS call ends.
On Android, in Safety and Emergency, look for Emergency Location Service and make sure it is turned on. This shares your location with emergency services when you call them.
Step 6: Add your medical information
On iPhone, open the Health app, tap your profile picture, and tap Medical ID. Tap Edit and fill in important details like allergies, medications, blood type, and medical conditions. Make sure Show When Locked is turned on so paramedics can see this information without unlocking your phone.
On Android, go to Safety and Emergency and tap Medical Information. Enter your details. This information can be viewed from the lock screen in an emergency.
Step 7: Test that it works (without calling)
On iPhone, go to Settings, then Emergency SOS, and review your settings. You can see which buttons activate it. Do not actually trigger a call unless it is a real emergency. Instead, confirm that your emergency contacts are listed and location sharing is on.
On Android, open Safety and Emergency and verify your contacts and settings are correct. Some phones show a preview of what happens when you trigger Emergency SOS.
Tips
- Tell your emergency contacts that you have added them so they know to expect a message from your phone if something happens.
- Practice finding the Emergency SOS setting so you remember where it is, but never trigger a real call for testing.
- Keep your emergency contacts up to date. If someone changes their phone number, update it in your settings.
- Consider adding your doctor’s phone number in your medical information section.
Useful links
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Frequently asked questions
Does Emergency SOS work without a SIM card?
Yes, Emergency SOS can call emergency services even without a SIM card or mobile plan. Any phone can dial emergency numbers like 112 in Europe or 911 in the United States.
Will my emergency contacts be notified automatically?
If you set up emergency contacts and enable auto-notification, your phone will send them a text message with your location after you make an SOS call. You need to set this up in advance.
Can I accidentally trigger Emergency SOS?
It is possible to trigger it by accident if you press the buttons repeatedly. Your phone gives you a countdown before calling, so you have a few seconds to cancel if it was a mistake.
Does it work when my phone is locked?
Yes, Emergency SOS works even when your phone is locked. You do not need to unlock your phone or enter your PIN to call emergency services.
What information does Emergency SOS share?
When you use Emergency SOS, your phone can share your current GPS location with emergency services and your chosen emergency contacts. This helps rescuers find you quickly.
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