How to Set Your Emergency Contact on an iPhone

Last Updated: October 24, 2019

With iOS 11 or later, you can set up emergency contacts that you can get in touch with quickly in an emergency when you use Emergency SOS. You can use Emergency SOS by pressing and holding the side button and one of the volume buttons until the Emergency SOS slider appears on the screen. After you end your call, your phone will text your emergency contacts with your location. This wikiHow will show you how to set your emergency contacts on an iOS phone, tablet, or watch.

Method 1

Method 1 of 2:
Adding Emergency Contacts

1
Open the Health App. This app icon looks like a red heart on a white background. You can find this app on your Home screen or by searching.
2
Tap the Medical ID icon. You'll see this in the lower right corner of your screen.
3
Tap Edit. You'll see this in the upper right corner of your screen.
4
Tap the plus icon (+) next to "add emergency contact." You might have to scroll down to find the "Emergency Contacts" header.
5
Tap a contact to add it and select their relationship to you. When you tap to add a contact, your contact list will open for you to choose who to add. That contact information will be added to the list as an emergency contact.
- To remove a contact, tap the minus icon (-) next to their name, then Delete.^{[1]
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Method 2

Method 2 of 2:
Turning Off Emergency SOS Auto Call

1
Open Settings. You can find this gray gear icon on your Home screen or by searching.
- To call emergency services on an iPhone 8 or later, press and hold the side button and one of the volume buttons until a slider appears. You can drag that slider to make the call immediately, or you can continue holding the buttons on the side of your phone for the countdown. After the countdown ends, emergency services will be called.
- To call emergency services on an iPhone 7or earlier, you need to rapidly press the power button (on the top or the side of the phone, depending on the model) 5 times. Then you can drag the slider to call emergency services.
2
Tap Emergency SOS. You'll find this in the third grouping of menu options with General.
3
Tap the toggle to turn it off
next to "Auto Call." If you turn off Auto Call, you can still make the call to emergency services by sliding the slider that appears when you hold the appropriate buttons. You cannot, however, make the call without sliding the slider.
- You can also turn off the ability to use the buttons.^{[2]
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