IPhones have a built-in emergency call feature that, when activated, automatically calls emergency services and alerts your loved ones that you are in a bad situation. Find out how to properly configure it for use in the event of a problem.
Few users know it, but the iPhone has, since iOS 11, an emergency call function which allows with a very simple manipulation to call the emergency services and alert relatives.
This function, which can be life-saving in the event of an accident for example or if you find yourself in an uncomfortable situation, is natively functional on all iPhones. However, it can be configured to offer more options. Here’s everything you need to know to configure it and use it in case of a problem.
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1. Complete your medical form
First of all, it is preferable to complete your personal medical form on your iPhone. Why ? Quite simply because this form allows you to configure the numbers of people to contact in case of emergency if something happens to you. When these emergency contacts are correctly entered, they will be automatically alerted and receive an SMS containing your geographical location if you use the Emergency Call function of your iPhone.
To complete your Medical Card, open iOS Settings, go to the Health menu, enter the Medical Card section and press Create Medical Card.
Then tap on Create a medical card, fill in the details of your card (known medical problems, allergies, treatments, height, weight, blood type, etc.), and tap on the option Add emergency contact.
Choose a contact from your address book, and indicate the Relationship you have with that person, whether it is a relative, a family member, etc. Keep the Show in locked mode setting enabled. When all of the information you want to provide is complete, tap Next. Then check your information, and validate your medical form by pressing the OK button.
Your medical card is now accessible from the unlock screen of your iPhone, by pressing the Emergency button then on Medical card.
This has several advantages. In the event that you find yourself in the street badly and you do not have or no longer have all your means to inform the people who will assist you, your identity and your health information will be immediately accessible. In addition, if you ever lose your iPhone, the person who finds it can access this medical file to identify you and call the emergency contact to return your device to you.
2. Configure the Emergency call
While emergency calls are enabled and functional by default for all users, you can change some settings to make them easier to use. Open iOS Settings and go to the Emergency Call menu.
Make sure that the options Call with the side button and Automatic call are activated. The first allows you to add a second method of activating the Emergency call while the Automatic Call option takes care, as its name suggests, of automatically launching the call to the emergency services without you having to specify the emergency number to dial.
Finally, it is possible to activate or not a countdown sound. When this option is activated, an audible warning signal will sound whenever you activate an Emergency Call. While this can be useful in case of accidental activation to cancel the manipulation, the use of an audible signal can be compromising if you need to use the Emergency call function in a discreet way. You are therefore free to keep this parameter activated.
3. Make an Emergency Call
If you have an iPhone 8 or later, there are several ways to initiate an Emergency Call. The first, by holding down the Power button and one of the two volume buttons on your iPhone. You will then have to slide the SOS Emergency call button to call for help.
The second, simpler (provided you have activated the Call with the side button option in the previous step), consists of pressing the iPhone’s Power button 5 times in a row. A countdown then starts before immediately initiating a call to the emergency number in your country (112 in France).
If you have an iPhone 7 or lower, the only method to initiate an emergency call is to press the Power button on the device 5 times in a row, then drag the SOS Emergency Call slider to call the emergency calls. relief.
Note that once the call is finished, another countdown starts before sending an SMS containing your geographical position to the emergency contact (s) that you have entered in your medical file. , even if the location function is disabled on your iPhone. Your medical card is also automatically displayed on the screen of your device.
Once you are safe, tap the OK button to close your Medical Card, and press your iPhone’s status bar (displayed in red with the word SOS) to Stop sharing the location of the emergency. This will end location sharing, otherwise you will receive a reminder every four hours for 24 hours indicating that your location is still shared.
In Emergency mode, even if you have deactivated the location function, the Apple smartphone momentarily activates the option to geolocate you in order to tell your loved ones where you are.
In addition, if your geographic position changes, your emergency contacts will be informed.