- You can add an emergency contact using the Health app or the Settings app on your iPhone.
- When you use the Emergency SOS feature, your iPhone texts your location to your emergency contacts.
- Your emergency contacts also appear on your iPhone’s medical ID.
In recent years, Apple has put a lot of work into turning its smart devices into full-fledged medical assistants. You can track your heart rate, count calories, and even automatically call for help after a car crash.
And while it’s not that fancy, there’s also a useful feature that lets you add any “emergency contact” you want. Here’s how the system works and how to use it.
How the iPhone’s emergency contact system works
The iPhone’s emergency contact system is pretty simple. To add someone as an emergency contact, they must be saved in your iPhone’s contacts list with a mobile phone number.
If you add someone as an emergency contact, no notification will be sent to them. However, if you ever use your iPhone’s Emergency SOS feature, which lets you quickly call emergency services, your contact will receive a text message with your current location.
And every emergency contact you add is also listed on your iPhone’s Medical ID, the digital card that contains your most important medical information for first responders.
How to add an emergency contact on your iPhone
There are two ways to add an emergency contact: through the Health app or the Settings app.
The health app
1. open that Health app and tap search in the lower right corner of the screen.
2. Beat Your Apple ID picture in the upper right corner and then medical card.
Open your Health app’s Medical ID menu.
Apple; William Antonelli/Insider
3. Beat To edit top right.
4. Scroll down to emergency contacts section and tap Add emergency contact.
Add your emergency contact by tapping the green plus option.
Apple; William Antonelli/Insider
5. Choose someone from your contact list and indicate how they relate to you.
6. Repeat for all contacts you want to add, then tap Finished top right.
to Clear an emergency contact, go back to medical card menu and tap To editand then tap the red minus sign next to the contact you are removing.
The Settings app
1. open that settings app and scroll down to tap it Health.
2. Beat medical cardand then To edit in the upper right corner.
The Settings app also has this menu.
Apple; William Antonelli/Insider
3. Scroll down and tap Add emergency contact.
4. Choose someone from your contact list and choose how they are related to you.
5. Repeat for all contacts you want to add, then tap Finished top right.
You can also delete emergency contacts by editing your medical ID again and tapping the red minus sign next to the contact you want to remove.
