What is emergency SOS function on iPhone
This is an opportunity to quickly contact the assistance services (police, ambulance, and so on), as well as notify contacts that are important for you that something urgent has happened. When you send an emergency call, the call goes to the emergency service.
Important note: Depending on the region where the iPhone user is located, the emergency phone numbers may vary. The device will automatically determine where to route the call based on the location. In some countries, there might be a need to configure this option additionally.
An emergency call not only makes a call to the rescue service, but also allows you to simultaneously send information about your current location and medical records to your configured contacts (close relatives, friends etc).
Please note: Even if the geolocation services are disabled, in case of an emergency call, the geolocation will be sent anyway – the device will forcibly enable the necessary services.
The Emergency SOS function on iPhone is paired with a medical record. If rescue services know how to use the iPhone’s capabilities to view a patient’s medical record, they will be able to learn basic information about him from his device, even without removing the lock.
How to enable or disable an emergency SOS function on iPhone
Emergency SOS on iPhone is a function that is always active. It cannot be completely disabled, only customized for a particular user in a certain way. To do this, open the settings and go to the “Emergency SOS” section.
Here you can activate the “Auto Call” switch. As long as it is activated you don’t need to use the screen of your iPhone to make an emergency call at all. When an emergency call is activated (below we are going to tell you how to do this) there will be started a timer. Upon completion, the call will automatically be directed to emergency services, and your emergency contacts will receive a message with your location.
To set up a list of contacts that will receive information about your location in case of an emergency call, click on “Set up Emergency Contacts in Health”.
If you have previously created a medical record, then you need to click in the upper right corner on the item “Edit”. If it has not been created before, then you will need to create it from scratch.
In the “Add emergency contact” section, specify who will receive information about your location in case there is an emergency.
Select the desired user from the contact list.
And indicate how they are related to you.
The contact is now selected and will receive a notification that you have made an emergency call.
We would like you to pay attention to one more setting – “Emergency access”. Activate it if you want healthcare professionals to be able to access your medical record right from the locked screen of your phone.
Important note: We recommend activating this setting, but first make sure that your medical record contains accurate information, especially about your blood type, chronic diseases, medications that you are currently taking, and so on.
How to make an emergency call on iPhone
Depending on the iPhone model, emergency call algorithms are going to be slightly different:
- IPhone 8 and later. Hold the screen lock button and any of the volume buttons. After a few seconds, the screen will prompt you to make an emergency call or view your medical record (if you have previously activated this option). If you will keep holding down the buttons, you will see a timer that will set a countdown to automatic emergency call.
- IPhone 7 and earlier. You need to press the lock button 5 times to make an emergency call. If previously you have set that after pressing 5 times, there will start an automatic countdown to the emergency call, the corresponding timer will appear. Otherwise, you can call emergency services by swiping across the screen.
Please note: The countdown timer is accompanied by an audible signal when calling emergency services.
Note that some countries have their own rules for activating an emergency call on iPhone. For example, in India, you need to press the lock button not 5 times, but only 3 times to enable this function.