Last Updated on May 18, 2020 by Husain Parvez
iPhone’s emergency SOS system is one of these features that we never really know about or use until it’s already too late. However, the truth is that this function, in particular, can be quite the lifesaver.
Knowing what this is and how to use it can make the difference between life and death in certain situations. So, without any further ado, let us check it out!
What is the iPhone Emergency SOS System?
The SOS system is a sort of feature that you can find in almost every Apple device nowadays. As the name implies, it’s an emergency feature that can help you get out of “sticky” situations by calling your local SOS number.
You can set it up to call a specific service like the fire department or maybe an ambulance, but, more on that later.
In this regard, some Apple devices work a bit differently than others. For example, the Apple Watch can automatically detect when you experience a car crash or when you fall down and it will make an emergency call if you don’t react to its prompt. Other devices, such as iPhones, require you to hold down certain buttons in order to bring up the SOS menu.
Other than that, Emergency SOS can also inform selected contacts about your location in regular intervals until you turn the alert off. Let’s take a deeper look.
How to Use Emergency SOS on iPhones
The very first thing you want to do is add emergency contacts that your iPhone can notify in case of an emergency. To do that:
- Open the Health app on your phone
- Select your profile picture
- Select “Edit”
- Scroll down to the emergency contacts
- Tap on “add emergency contact”
- Add the contact of your choice
- Then select what kind of relationship you share with them “Sibling, spouse, etc”
While you’re at it, you can also add other details about health-related stuff like medications that you may need, allergies, blood type, and more. All this is very useful as your contacts will receive a notification in the case of an emergency and will also know where you are. Not to mention that anyone who may find you in the case of a car crash will also be able to quickly identify vital information and will also know who to call if the need arises.
How to Activate it
To use the emergency SOS service on an iPhone 8 or a newer iPhone device:
- Hold down the side button with one of the volume buttons
- Wait until the emergency SOS slider comes up
- Drag the slider to the right or keep on holding down the side + volume buttons until the countdown ends
If you own an iPhone 7 or an older iPhone, the main difference is that you have to press the side button rapidly 5 times – or 3 if you’re in India. Once you move the slider to the right, your phone will call the local SOS number. In certain locations, you will have to choose a specific department.
Once the call is over, it’s also going to send your location to the selected contacts while also notifying them about the situation. Your location will keep on getting shared with the contacts for the next 24 hours until you manually stop the process by using the status bar.
And that’s more or less all there is to it. If you wish to change any settings, you can do so through the main Settings app of your iPhone.
In case you have any questions, feel free to let us and everyone else know about them in the comments section down below!
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/george-k-8246a1169/
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