Use Emergency SOS on your iPhone

When you make a call with SOS, your iPhone will call the local emergency number for where you are automatically. In some countries and regions, you may need to choose the service that you need. For example, in China mainland you can choose police, fire or ambulance.

You can also add emergency contacts. After an emergency call has ended, your iPhone can alert your emergency contacts with a text message, unless you choose to cancel this option. Your iPhone will send your current location, and for a period of time after you've entered SOS mode, your emergency contacts will receive updates when your location changes.

Make the call on iPhone 8 or later: 

1. Press and hold the side button and one of the volume buttons until the Emergency SOS slider appears.
2. Drag the Emergency Call slider to call the emergency services. If you continue to hold down the side button and volume button, instead of dragging the slider, a countdown will start and an alert will sound. If you hold down the buttons until the countdown ends, your iPhone will call the emergency services automatically.

Make the call on iPhone 7 or earlier:

1. Press the side (or top) button five times rapidly. The Emergency Call slider will appear. (In India, you only need to press the button three times, then your iPhone will call the emergency services automatically.)
2. Drag the Emergency SOS slider to call the emergency services.

After the call has ended, your iPhone will send your emergency contacts a text message with your current location, unless you choose to cancel. If Location Services is turned off, it will turn on temporarily. If your location changes, your contacts will get an update and you'll receive a notification about 10 minutes later.

On iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro models, your phone can call the emergency services and send a message to your emergency contacts when a severe car crash is detected. Find out more about Crash Detection on your iPhone or Apple Watch.

If you use the Emergency SOS shortcut, you'll need to enter your passcode to re-enable Touch ID or Face ID, even if you don't complete a call to the emergency services. 

Use Emergency SOS on your Apple Watch

When your location is being shared, you'll receive a reminder to stop sharing your location every 4 hours for 24 hours. To stop the updates, tap the status bar and select "Stop Sharing Emergency Location".

If you start the countdown by accident, you can cancel it. On iPhone 8 or later, release the side button and volume button. On iPhone 7 or earlier, press the Stop button, then tap Stop Calling.

If you call the emergency services by accident, you can end the call. Tap the End Call button , then confirm that you want to stop calling.

1. Open the Health app and tap your profile picture .
2. Tap Medical ID.
3. Tap Edit, then scroll to Emergency Contacts.
4. Tap the Add button to add an emergency contact.
5. Tap a contact, then add their relationship.
6. Tap Done to save your changes.

You can't set the emergency services as an SOS contact.

Set up your Medical ID in the Health app

1. Open the Health app and tap your profile picture .
2. Tap Medical ID.
3. Tap Edit, then scroll to Emergency Contacts.
4. Tap the Delete button next to a contact, then tap Delete.
5. Tap Done to save your changes.

On iPhone 8 or later, your iPhone can call the emergency services automatically. When Call with Hold or Call with 5 Presses is turned on and you try to make an emergency call, your iPhone will start a countdown and sound an alert. After the countdown has finished, your iPhone will call the emergency services automatically.

To turn these settings on:

1. Open the Settings app on your iPhone.
2. Tap Emergency SOS.
3. Turn Call with Hold or Call with 5 Presses on.

If you turn off Call with Hold or Call with 5 Presses, you can still use the Emergency SOS slider to make a call.