Your iPhone includes a critical safety feature called Emergency SOS, designed to quickly connect you with emergency services during urgent situations. Whether you’re in danger, experiencing a medical emergency, or witnessing an accident, this feature ensures help is just a few taps or button presses away.

In this guide, we’ll walk you through how to activate Emergency SOS, customize settings, and use it effectively when every second counts.

How Emergency SOS Works

Emergency SOS allows you to:

• Instantly call local emergency services (e.g., 911, 112, or 100 depending on your location).
• Share your location with emergency contacts via text.
• Activate silently (if enabled) to avoid drawing attention in dangerous situations.

How to Activate Emergency SOS on iPhone

Depending on your iPhone model, you can trigger Emergency SOS in one of these ways:

For iPhone 8 or Later

1. Press and hold the Side button + Volume button (either up or down) simultaneously.
2. Continue holding until the Emergency SOS slider appears.
3. Drag the slider to call emergency services immediately.
   • (Alternatively, keep holding the buttons to bypass the slider and initiate an automatic call with a countdown and alert sound.)

For iPhone 7 or Earlier

1. Rapidly press the Side (or Top) button 5 times.
2. The Emergency SOS slider will appear—drag it to call emergency services.

Automatic Emergency Call Feature

You can enable Auto Call in settings, which triggers an emergency call automatically when holding the buttons (iPhone 8+) or pressing the side button 5 times (iPhone 7-).

To turn Auto Call on/off:

1. Go to Settings > Emergency SOS.
2. Toggle “Auto Call” on or off.

Notify Emergency Contacts

Your iPhone can also send your current location to designated emergency contacts when Emergency SOS is activated.

To set up emergency contacts:

1. Open the Health app and tap your profile picture.
2. Select Medical ID > Edit.
3. Scroll to Emergency Contacts and add trusted people.
4. Enable “Share During Emergency Call” to notify them automatically.

After the Emergency Call Ends

If enabled, your iPhone will:

• Send your emergency contacts a message with your current location.
• Update them if your location changes (for a limited time).

Important Tips

• Test Emergency SOS safely: Practice the activation steps without calling emergency services.
• Know your local emergency number: SOS connects to the local emergency line (e.g., 911 in the US, 112 in the EU).
• Disable accidental triggers: If you frequently activate SOS by mistake, adjust the settings or disable Auto Call.

Final Thoughts

Emergency SOS is a powerful tool that could save your life—or someone else’s. Take a moment to configure your settings, add emergency contacts, and familiarize yourself with the activation steps to ensure you’re prepared for any crisis.

🔹 Have you ever used Emergency SOS? Share your experience in the comments!