Emergency situations can come at any moment, so it is critical to always be prepared. The one item that most people always have on them is their phone. Apple realized this and added an Emergency SOS feature in iOS 11. Emergency SOS can be set up to call emergency services such as 911 and reach out to emergency contacts listed in your Medical ID in the Health app. This feature can be performed from the lock screen, which can be make all the difference in emergency situations.
How to activate Emergency SOS
Emergency SOS can be activated by holding the right sleep/wake button along with either volume button. You can also enable the 5 Clicks option, which activates Emergency SOS with five rapid clicks to the sleep/wake button.
Make sure the Auto Call option is toggled on. This will call your local emergency number. When Emergency SOS is activated you’ll see a three second countdown that lets you cancel an accidental emergency call. You can toggle on the “Countdown Sound” which plays a warning sound alerting you that Emergency SOS is about to make a call to emergency services. The loud warning noise can also deter thieves or unsavory individuals from pursuing you.
After the emergency call ends, your iPhone will also alert emergency contacts listed in your Medical ID. Your iPhone will send a text stating your current location and updates when your location changes. This can make all the difference to yours or someone else’s loved ones when a the worst case scenario occurs.
How to add or remove emergency contacts
- Open Health app and tap Medical ID
- Tap Edit and scroll down to Emergency Contacts
- Tap add emergency contact
- Tap a contact and add their relationship
- Tap Done to save your changes
No one ever expects to be in an emergency situation. Whether it’s an active shooter, natural disaster, or someone with a health issue, the best advice is to be prepared. Knowing that any iPhone with iOS 11 can be used to contact emergency services can vastly increase the chances of a positive outcome. I would highly recommend making sure this feature is set up now, rather than waiting until the last moment. Make sure to always be prepared and take advantage of the must-have safety feature.