How to set up Medical ID on your phone

What you will learn

In this guide, you will learn how to set up Medical ID on your phone. Medical ID stores important health information like your allergies, blood type, and medications. In an emergency, a paramedic or anyone helping you can see this information from your lock screen without needing your passcode.

What you need

• An iPhone with iOS 8 or newer, or an Android phone with Android 7 or newer
• Your medical information (allergies, medications, blood type, conditions)
• The phone number of at least one emergency contact

Steps

Step 1: Open the Health app on iPhone or Settings on Android

On an iPhone, open the Health app. It has a white icon with a red heart. On an Android phone, open Settings, then scroll down and tap Safety and emergency (or Emergency information on some phones). If you cannot find it, use the search bar in Settings and type “emergency.”

Step 2: Find the Medical ID section

On iPhone, tap your profile picture or initials in the top-right corner of the Health app, then tap Medical ID. Tap Edit to start adding your information. On Android, tap Medical information or Medical ID in the Safety and emergency menu.

Step 3: Add your personal details

Fill in your name, date of birth, and blood type if you know it. You do not need to fill in every field. Only add information that you are sure about and that could help someone in an emergency.

Step 4: Add your medical conditions and allergies

Tap the Medical Conditions field and type any conditions you have, such as diabetes, heart disease, or asthma. Then tap Allergies and Reactions and type any allergies, such as penicillin or bee stings. This is the most important section because it tells a paramedic what treatments to avoid.

Step 5: Add your current medications

Tap the Medications field and list the medicines you take regularly. Include the name and dosage if possible. For example, “Metformin 500mg twice daily.” This helps medical staff avoid giving you medicines that could interact badly with what you already take.

Step 6: Add emergency contacts

Scroll down to Emergency Contacts and tap Add Emergency Contact. Choose someone from your phone contacts, like a spouse, child, or close friend. Select their relationship to you (spouse, parent, child, friend). Add at least one person, but two is better.

Step 7: Enable lock screen access

On iPhone, make sure the toggle Show When Locked is turned on. This allows your Medical ID to be seen from the lock screen. Tap Done to save. On Android, make sure Show on lock screen is enabled. Without this, nobody can see your information in an emergency.

Tips

• Review your Medical ID every few months to make sure it is up to date, especially if your medications change.
• Tell your emergency contacts that you have listed them so they are prepared to receive a call if something happens.
• You can test your Medical ID by locking your phone and tapping Emergency on the lock screen, then tapping Medical ID (iPhone) or the medical information icon (Android).
• If you wear a medical alert bracelet, your Medical ID provides a digital backup with more detail.

Useful links

• Set up Medical ID on iPhone
• Add emergency information on Android