This is how you send an SOS emergency report with your iPhone and set up emergency contacts

With your iPhone you can send an emergency SOS message in case of an emergency. This is possible even if the iPhone is still locked. In this tip, we’ll show you how this works.

Everything you need to know about iPhone emergency notification

The iPhone has a few features that you will hopefully never have to use. The SOS emergency call, for example, with which you can quickly call the emergency number. The handy thing about this function is that you do not have to unlock the iPhone for this. This allows you to use any telephone to call for help in an emergency. The SOS emergency report has been in iOS for years, but works differently from the iPhone 8 than with previous devices. This is how it works.

This is how you send an emergency report on an iPhone 8 or newer:

1. Press and hold the lock button and one of the volume buttons;
2. Wait until the SOS Emergency slider appears;
3. Swipe this ‘SOS’ button from left to right.

The above way works when you have an iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, iPhone X, iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max or iPhone XR. Do you own an iPhone 7 or an older model? Then follow these steps:

1. Press the iPhone’s lock button five times in quick succession;
2. Swipe the button with ‘SOS’ from left to right.

If you have never set the function further, this will automatically call 112. You can cancel this call by quickly tapping the red phone button. You can further set the function by going to ‘Settings> SOS emergency report’.

Here you can activate ‘Automatic Calling’, so that 112 can be switched on faster. The emergency number is immediately activated when you press the keys. At that moment you hear a loud siren, after which the iPhone counts down from 3 to 0 and then dials 112 independently. Press ‘Cancel’ to reverse the bell.

Set up medical ID on your iPhone

In SOS emergency alerts you can also activate another important function: Medical ID. This contains important information for emergency services such as your blood type, weight, height and possible allergies.

This is how you set up Medical ID on your iPhone:

1. Open Settings;
2. Go to ‘SOS Emergency report’;
3. Tap on ‘Configure emergency contact’;
4. In the next window you can then fill in all fields.

Configure emergency contacts

You can also set SOS contacts via the Settings app. These people will automatically receive a message when you have called the emergency number. In addition to a message, they also receive a map with your current location, so that they can be on the spot quickly.

This is how you set up iPhone emergency contacts

1. Open Settings;
2. Tap ‘Emergency SOS’;
3. Choose ‘Configure emergency contact’;
4. In the next window, scroll down to the heading ‘SOS contacts’;
5. Tap on ‘Add Emergency Contact’ and choose someone from your address book;
6. State your relationship with the person (partner, girlfriend, father, mother, etc.).

Also read: How to send an emergency SOS message with the Apple Watch