How to
7 Phone Emergency Settings You Should Set Up Before You Need Them
Your phone can do considerably more in an emergency than simply call 911.
Modern iPhones and Android phones include emergency contacts, medical information, SOS features and other safety tools that can be useful when you can’t easily unlock or operate your phone.
The problem is that some of these features need to be configured before an emergency happens.
Take a few minutes today to check these seven phone emergency settings.
1. Add Your Emergency Contacts
Start with the people you’d want contacted if something happened to you.
On an iPhone, you can add emergency contacts through your Medical ID in the Health app.
On Android, the exact location varies by manufacturer, but look for options such as:
Settings > Safety & emergency
or search Settings for “Emergency contacts.”
Choose people who are likely to answer and who know important information about you.
Your emergency contact list probably doesn’t need 14 people. This isn’t the group chat.
2. Set Up Your Medical Information
Both iPhone and many Android phones allow you to store emergency medical information that may be accessible without fully unlocking the device.
Depending on your phone, this can include:
- Your name
- Emergency contacts
- Allergies
- Medications
- Blood type
- Medical conditions
- Other important notes
Only include information you’re comfortable making accessible from the emergency screen.
On an iPhone, open the Health app and find Medical ID.
On Android, search Settings for “Medical information,” “Emergency information” or “Safety & emergency.”
3. Learn How Emergency SOS Works
Don’t wait for an actual emergency to figure out which buttons activate Emergency SOS.
On an iPhone, open:
Settings > Emergency SOS
Review the available activation options on your particular model.
Android phones also offer Emergency SOS features, although the settings and behavior can vary between manufacturers and Android versions.
Search Settings for:
Emergency SOS
Then review exactly what happens when it’s activated.
Your phone may be able to call emergency services, contact selected people or perform additional safety actions depending on your settings and device.
4. Check Emergency Location Features
Location can be extremely important during an emergency.
iPhones and Android phones have features designed to help provide location information during emergency calls or SOS events, although availability and behavior vary by device, carrier and region.
Review the emergency location options on your phone and make sure you’re comfortable with how they’re configured.
This is also a good time to review which everyday apps have access to your location.
iPhone users can find additional privacy controls in 7 iPhone Settings You’ll Wish You Changed Sooner.
Android users should check 7 Android Settings You’ll Be Glad You Changed for similar settings.
5. Set Up Crash Detection If Your Phone Supports It
Some newer smartphones can detect what appears to be a severe car crash and attempt to connect you with emergency services.
On supported iPhones, Crash Detection can automatically attempt an emergency call after detecting a severe crash if you don’t respond.
Some Android devices also offer crash-detection features.
Availability depends heavily on your particular phone, location and software, so don’t assume every device supports it.
Search your phone’s Settings for:
Crash Detection
If it’s available, review how it works and make sure the emergency information associated with your device is current.
6. Check Satellite Emergency Features
Satellite connectivity is becoming an increasingly important safety feature on newer smartphones.
Supported phones may be able to communicate with emergency services or contacts in certain situations when cellular and Wi-Fi service aren’t available.
This can be particularly useful while hiking, camping, traveling through remote areas or driving somewhere without reliable cellular coverage.
But satellite emergency features aren’t identical across every phone.
Check what your specific device supports, where the service is available and how you’re supposed to use it.
If your phone offers a demonstration or practice mode, that’s considerably better than learning how satellite communication works while you’re stranded somewhere with one bar of granola and several questionable life decisions.
7. Make Sure Your Family Knows About These Features
Setting everything up is useful.
Making sure the people closest to you know about it is even better.
Show your spouse, partner, children or other family members where emergency information can be found on your phone without unlocking it.
Also make sure they understand how Emergency SOS works on their own phones.
If you have children with smartphones, go through their emergency contacts and medical information with them.
And don’t just configure everything once and forget about it.
Review emergency information when you change phone numbers, medications, addresses or emergency contacts.
Don’t Forget Your Lock Screen
Emergency information is most useful when someone can actually find it.
After configuring everything, lock your phone and see what another person would encounter.
Can you reach the Emergency screen?
Can you find your Medical ID or emergency information?
Are your contacts correct?
Checking from the lock screen gives you a much better idea of what someone could actually access if you were unable to explain it yourself.
Your Phone Can Help, But It Needs Some Preparation
Smartphones have accumulated an enormous number of features over the years.
Most of them can wait.
Emergency settings are different.
Adding emergency contacts, entering important medical information and learning how SOS works takes only a few minutes, and you hopefully won’t need any of it.
That’s precisely when you want to set it up.
FAQ
Can Someone See My Medical Information Without Unlocking My Phone?
If you choose to make emergency medical information available from the lock screen, certain information may be accessible without unlocking the phone. The exact behavior depends on your device and settings.
Does Emergency SOS Automatically Call 911?
Emergency SOS behavior varies depending on the phone, settings and location. Review the SOS settings on your particular device so you know exactly what will happen when you activate it.
Do All Phones Have Crash Detection?
No. Crash Detection is limited to supported devices and may also depend on software version and region.
Can My Phone Contact Someone If I Don’t Have Cell Service?
Some newer smartphones support certain satellite-based emergency or messaging features when cellular and Wi-Fi networks aren’t available. Device, location and service restrictions apply.
Should Children Have Emergency Contacts on Their Phones?
If a child carries a phone, having appropriate emergency contacts and accessible emergency information can be useful. Parents should configure the information based on the child’s needs and the capabilities of the device.
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