How to Set Up and Use Emergency SOS on iPhone

Emergency SOS in iOS 11 lets you call your close friend or family member in case some emergency arises, and you need immediate attention. To make an Emergency SOS call, all you need to do is press the Sleep/Wake button 5 times repeatedly. Since this is a global method to initiate an emergency call, it can be used even by someone else to help you in the situation where you are not in state of making an SOS call on your own.
However, before you or anyone else can make Emergency SOS calls, your iPhone must be configured accordingly. Here’s how it can be done:

■Launching the Emergency SOS app
Tap the Settings icon from the Home screen, and tap the Emergency SOS option from the Settings window that opens up. This launches the Emergency SOS set up wizard where you can add your details to configure the app.






■Choosing whether to enable or disable Auto Call
Slide the Auto Call button to the right. This will allow Emergency SOS to automatically make a call to the number you set up when you press the Sleep/Wake button 5 times. If you keep Auto Call turned off, pressing the Sleep/Wake button 5 times will prompt you to choose an Emergency SOS option from the lock screen when the emergency arises.



■Choosing whether to enable or disable Countdown Sound
Slide the Countdown Sound button to the right. The Countdown Sound button is present at the bottom of the window, and is only available when you turn on Auto Call. When Countdown Sound is enabled, your iPhone produces countdown alarm, where the countdown starts from 3 and an emergency call is automatically initiated to your emergency contact as soon as the countdown reaches 0 (zero).



■Creating your health profile
Tap Set up Emergency Contacts in Health, and tap Create Medical ID in the next window that comes up. In the opened Medical ID window in the Health app, add your medical details in the available fields. This information might be helpful for others in case you’re in need of instant attention in case of emergency.






■Adding an emergency contact number
Tap add emergency contact from under the EMERGENCY CONTACTS section. From the Contacts window that appears next, tap to select a contact you want your iPhone to make a call to in case of emergency. From the Relationship window, tap to select type of relation you have with the emergency contact you selected. Doing so will help others know whom they’re call to in case you’re unable to use your phone or speak.









■Complete your Medical ID
Back on the Medical ID window, tap Done from the top-right corner. This will save the information you added, and will display the details in a new window. From here you can tap/press the Home button to get back to the Home screen.






■Making an Emergency SOS call

To make an Emergency SOS call, press the Sleep/Wake button 5 times in a row. As a result, this will automatically initiate a call to the emergency contact you added in your Medical ID. If you kept the Auto Call option turned off, the screen will display multiple options to pick one from.