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Apple's Emergency SOS feature allows you to contact emergency services without having to unlock your phone. It will also send your location to your emergency contacts. So if you need help fast, the Emergency SOS feature can contact emergency services and send your location to your Emergency Contacts. Sound interesting? Here's how to set it up!
Why You'll Love This Tip
- Automatically send a ping of your location to Emergency Contacts, so your loved ones will know where you are.
- Feel more peace of mind knowing that you'll always be able to reach emergency services and your Emergency Contacts if you run into trouble.
- If you live in a compatible country, use Emergency SOS via satellite on your iPhone 14 to contact help, even without Wi-Fi or a cellular connection.
How to Set Up iPhone Emergency SOS
If you like the idea of being able to contact your emergency contacts and 911 services with just a swipe, here's how to set up the feature in two separate ways, depending on what is easiest for you to do and what you think will be simplest to remember. If you like tips like this about using your iPhone, be sure to sign up for our free Tip of the Day!
Emergency SOS via satellite allows you to contact emergency services even when you have no cellular or Wi-Fi connection. This feature is available only on iPhone 14 and later models. You can read more about it in our article on how to use Emergency SOS via satellite on iPhone 14.
Warning: Follow the steps below to avoid accidentally calling emergency services. A false 911 emergency call is a crime, so never make prank calls, even if your intention is to test the SOS feature.
Call Emergency SOS with Hold
The first way to enable Emergency SOS is by pressing and holding the side and volume buttons simultaneously to make the call. When you set this feature up, pressing and holding the buttons simultaneously will trigger the emergency contact page, where you will be able to slide for an Emergency SOS call.
- Go to Settings.
![On your iPhone 14 or later, go to Settings.]()
- Tap Emergency SOS.
![Tap Emergency SOS.]()
- Toggle Call with Hold to on. It will be green when enabled.
![Toggle Call with Hold to on. It will be green when enabled.]()
Now, whenever you need to make an emergency call, you can hold down either volume button and the side button. Once the emergency call screen comes up, you'll still need to swipe across to make an emergency call.
Call Emergency SOS with Five Presses
The second way to enable Emergency SOS is by pressing the side button five times consecutively. This option is slightly more extreme, as it triggers the call automatically, giving you eight seconds to cancel the emergency call. This means, if you click the side button five times in a row, you just have to wait a few seconds for the emergency call to go through. This might be a slightly more convenient option if you are really in the midst of an emergency. To enable Call with Five Presses:
- Go to Settings.
![On your iPhone 14 or later, go to Settings.]()
- Tap Emergency SOS.
![Tap Emergency SOS.]()
- Toggle Call with 5 Presses on. It will be green when enabled.
![Toggle Call with 5 Presses to on. It will be green when enabled.]()
After you've enabled Emergency SOS, for the second part of this feature, you will need to have set up your Emergency Contacts so that they can be notified whenever you are in your emergency. You can do this by scrolling down in Emergency SOS settings and tapping Edit Emergency Contacts in Health. And that's all there is to it! Emergency SOS no longer requires cellular signal and allows iPhone 14 users to use satellite to get help.
