How to set up your emergency contacts and medical ID on your iPhone

The Health app now houses a Medical ID that can be displayed from the lock screen, exposing key data such as allergies, medications, blood type and custom notes. Two toggle switches—“Show When Locked” and “Share During Emergency Call”—determine whether anyone can view the profile or whether the information is automatically transmitted to 911 during an SOS call. Below the health data, users can add up to several emergency contacts whose phone numbers and locations are sent to responders or messaged when the Emergency SOS feature is activated.

Apple’s Emergency SOS combines a hardware shortcut (holding the Side button with either Volume button for several seconds) with optional shortcuts like five rapid Side‑button presses. The system emits a countdown tone before dialing 911, and offers a “Call Quietly” mode that suppresses the alert tone. If the device detects a severe crash, it can automatically place a call without user input. Notably, the newer Action Button on the iPhone 15 series does not trigger SOS, keeping the feature tied to the side‑button layout. Additional tools such as Emergency Bypass let specific contacts ring through Do Not Disturb or Focus modes, though they must be enabled per contact. In regions that support it, users can also text 911, and iPhone 14 and later models can summon emergency assistance via satellite when cellular service is unavailable.

These capabilities position Apple as a leader in consumer‑level emergency response, but they also raise practical concerns. Users must remember to keep medical information current and to test SOS settings, lest outdated data hinder care. The reliance on hardware button combos can lead to accidental calls, especially with the five‑press shortcut enabled, while “Call Quietly” may mask unintended activations. Moreover, satellite SOS remains limited to compatible models and geographic coverage, so its usefulness varies. Watch for future iOS updates that might integrate SOS triggers into the Action Button or expand Text‑to‑911 support, and for regulatory pressure that could demand more standardized emergency data sharing across platforms.