How to Set Up Emergency Contacts on Your Phone (iPhone & Android)

Imagine you are out shopping and you feel unwell. A kind stranger picks up your phone to call your family, but your phone is locked and they have no idea who to contact. This is exactly the kind of situation that emergency contacts on your phone are designed to prevent.

Setting up emergency contacts takes just a few minutes, but it could make all the difference in a crisis. Whether you have an iPhone or an Android phone, there are built-in features that let paramedics, hospital staff, or even a helpful bystander see your emergency information and call your loved ones without needing your passcode.

In this guide, we will walk through everything step by step in plain, simple language. You do not need to be a tech expert. If you can tap a screen, you can do this.

Why Emergency Contacts Matter

When something goes wrong, time matters. If you are unconscious or unable to speak, the people helping you need a quick way to:

• Contact your family or close friends
• See your medical conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, or allergies
• Know what medications you take so doctors can treat you safely
• Find out your blood type if it is needed in hospital

Both iPhone and Android phones have special features that display this information on your lock screen, even when the phone is locked with a passcode or fingerprint. Paramedics and emergency room staff are trained to check phones for this information, so setting it up is one of the most important things you can do with your phone.

Setting Up Medical ID on iPhone

Apple's Medical ID feature lets you store your health information and emergency contacts in one place. Anyone can view it from your lock screen without unlocking the phone.

How to Create Your Medical ID

1. Open the Health app on your iPhone (it has a white icon with a red heart)
2. Tap your profile picture or initials in the top right corner
3. Tap Medical ID
4. Tap Edit in the top right corner
5. Fill in the fields that matter to you:

• Medical conditions (for example, diabetes, high blood pressure, pacemaker)
• Medical notes (anything else a doctor should know)
• Allergies and reactions (for example, penicillin, latex)
• Medications (list everything you take regularly)
• Blood type (if you know it)
• Weight and height (optional but helpful)

1. Scroll down to the Emergency Contacts section
2. Tap Add Emergency Contact
3. Choose someone from your contacts list (for example, your son, daughter, or spouse)
4. Select their relationship to you (parent, spouse, child, friend, etc.)
5. Add as many emergency contacts as you like (we recommend at least two)
6. Make sure the toggle for Show When Locked is turned on (it should be green)
7. Tap Done in the top right corner

That is it. Your Medical ID is now set up and visible from the lock screen.

How Someone Accesses Your Medical ID

If someone finds your iPhone and needs to reach your emergency contacts, here is what they do:

1. They press and hold the side button and one of the volume buttons at the same time
2. The emergency screen appears with a slider that says Medical ID
3. They slide it, and your health information and emergency contacts appear
4. They can tap any phone number listed to call that person directly

This works even if your phone is completely locked. You do not need to share your passcode with anyone.

If you are new to iPhone and still getting familiar with the basics, our guide on how to set up a new iPhone covers everything from the start.

Setting Up Emergency Info on Android

Android phones have a similar feature, though the exact steps can vary slightly depending on the phone brand (Samsung, Google Pixel, Motorola, etc.). Here is the most common method that works on most modern Android phones.

Using the Safety App (Google Pixel and Stock Android)

1. Open the Settings app (the grey gear icon)
2. Tap Safety & emergency (you may need to scroll down to find it)
3. Tap Emergency information or Medical information
4. Tap Edit or the pencil icon
5. Enter your details:

• Name and date of birth
• Medical conditions
• Allergies
• Medications
• Blood type
• Address (your home address, so emergency services know where you live)

1. Go back and tap Emergency contacts
2. Tap Add contact
3. Choose one or more people from your contacts list
4. Your information is saved automatically

Using Samsung Phones

On Samsung phones, the steps are slightly different:

1. Open Settings
2. Tap Safety and emergency
3. Tap Medical info
4. Fill in your medical details and tap Save
5. Go back and tap Emergency contacts
6. Tap Add and choose contacts from your list

How Someone Accesses Your Emergency Info on Android

On most Android phones, a person can see your emergency information by:

1. Swiping up on the lock screen
2. Tapping Emergency call
3. Tapping Emergency information (they may need to tap it twice)
4. Your medical details and emergency contacts appear, and they can call anyone listed

If you have recently got a new Android phone, our guide on how to set up a new Android phone will help you get everything sorted from the beginning.

Adding ICE Contacts the Simple Way

ICE stands for In Case of Emergency. It is a simple idea that has been around since before smartphones. The concept is straightforward: you save contacts in your phone with the letters "ICE" before their name. For example:

• ICE - Margaret (wife)
• ICE - David (son)
• ICE - Dr. Patel (GP)

This way, even if someone does not know about the Medical ID or emergency info features, they can search your contacts for "ICE" and immediately find the right people to call.

To add an ICE contact:

1. Open your Contacts app
2. Find the person you want to mark as an emergency contact
3. Tap Edit
4. Change their name to start with ICE followed by a dash and their name
5. Tap Save

We recommend doing this in addition to using the Medical ID or emergency info features described above. It gives you an extra layer of safety.

Using Emergency SOS on Your Phone

Both iPhones and Android phones have an Emergency SOS feature that lets you quickly call emergency services (like 911 in the US or 999 in the UK) and automatically notify your emergency contacts.

Emergency SOS on iPhone

1. Press and hold the side button and one of the volume buttons at the same time
2. A screen appears with sliders for Power Off, Medical ID, and Emergency SOS
3. Keep holding both buttons, and your iPhone will start a countdown and then automatically call emergency services
4. Alternatively, you can drag the Emergency SOS slider
5. After the call ends, your iPhone will send a text message to all your emergency contacts with your current location

To make sure this feature is set up properly:

1. Open Settings
2. Tap Emergency SOS
3. Make sure Call with Hold and Release is turned on
4. You can also turn on Call Quietly if you do not want an alarm sound

Emergency SOS on Android

1. Press the power button five times quickly
2. Your phone will start a countdown and then call emergency services
3. It can also share your location with your emergency contacts

To set this up:

1. Open Settings
2. Tap Safety & emergency
3. Tap Emergency SOS
4. Follow the on-screen instructions to turn it on
5. Choose whether to play an alarm sound and share your location

On Samsung phones, you may find this under Settings then Safety and emergency then SOS. Some Samsung phones let you press the side button three times instead of five.

Sharing Your Location with Family

Beyond emergency situations, you may want your family to be able to check where you are at any time. This can give everyone peace of mind, especially if you live alone or go out walking regularly. There are two excellent ways to do this.

Google Maps Location Sharing

Google Maps lets you share your live location with family members continuously. This works on both iPhones and Android phones.

1. Open Google Maps
2. Tap your profile picture in the top right corner
3. Tap Location sharing
4. Tap Share location
5. Choose Until you turn this off for continuous sharing
6. Select the family members you want to share with
7. Tap Share

Your family members will then be able to open Google Maps on their phone and see exactly where you are, shown as a small dot on the map. If you are not familiar with Google Maps yet, our guide on how to use Google Maps covers everything you need to know.

Find My on iPhone

If you and your family all use iPhones, Apple's Find My app is another great option:

1. Open the Find My app (a green icon with a blue circle)
2. Tap the People tab at the bottom
3. Tap Start Sharing Location
4. Type the name of a family member
5. Choose Share Indefinitely
6. Tap Send

They will get a notification and be able to see your location whenever they open the Find My app.

Setting Up Lock Screen Emergency Info

In addition to Medical ID and the emergency info features, you can add a message directly to your lock screen. This could be a simple line like "In case of emergency, please call Margaret on 01onal 555-1234" or your home address.

On iPhone

1. Open Settings
2. Tap Face ID & Passcode (or Touch ID & Passcode on older iPhones)
3. Enter your passcode
4. Scroll down and make sure Medical ID is turned on under Allow Access When Locked

Your Medical ID will then be accessible from the lock screen as described earlier.

On Android

Some Android phones let you add a lock screen message:

1. Open Settings
2. Tap Lock screen or Display
3. Look for Lock screen message or Contact information
4. Type a short message, such as your name and an emergency phone number
5. Tap Save

This message will appear on your lock screen at all times, even when the phone is locked.

What Paramedics Look for on Your Phone

It is worth knowing that paramedics and emergency medical staff are trained to check your phone for medical information. Here is what they typically look for:

• Medical ID or emergency info accessible from the lock screen
• ICE contacts in your contacts list
• Medical alert apps such as those for diabetes, epilepsy, or heart conditions
• Lock screen messages with emergency contact details

They know how to access Medical ID on iPhones and emergency information on Android phones, so you can trust that the information you enter will be found when it matters.

Having your medications listed is particularly important. If you are brought into hospital unconscious, knowing what drugs you take helps doctors avoid dangerous interactions with any treatment they give you. If you take blood thinners, insulin, or heart medication, make absolutely sure these are listed.

A Quick Checklist

Before you put your phone down, run through this list to make sure everything is set up:

• [ ] Medical ID (iPhone) or emergency info (Android) is filled in
• [ ] At least two emergency contacts are added
• [ ] "Show When Locked" is turned on so the information is accessible
• [ ] ICE contacts are saved in your contacts list
• [ ] Emergency SOS is set up and you know how to trigger it
• [ ] Location sharing is turned on with at least one family member
• [ ] Your lock screen shows emergency contact information

If you have ticked off everything on this list, well done. You have taken a simple but powerful step to keep yourself safer.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can someone unlock my phone using the emergency contact features?

No. The Medical ID and emergency info features only show the health details and phone numbers you have chosen to share. Nobody can use these features to unlock your phone, read your messages, or access your apps. Your phone stays completely locked and private.

Do I need the internet for emergency contacts to work?

The emergency contact information is stored directly on your phone, so it is available even without an internet connection. However, features like location sharing through Google Maps or Find My do need an internet connection (Wi-Fi or mobile data) to update your location in real time. The Emergency SOS calling feature works whenever you have a phone signal.

How many emergency contacts should I add?

We recommend adding at least two or three emergency contacts. Choose people who are likely to answer their phone quickly and who know about your medical conditions. A good combination might be your spouse or partner, one of your children, and a close friend or neighbour who lives nearby. You can also add your GP or specialist doctor if you wish.

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Setting up emergency contacts is one of the quickest and most important things you can do with your phone. It takes less than ten minutes, and it could genuinely save your life one day. If you found this guide helpful, why not sit down with a family member this week and go through the steps together? They can help you fill everything in, and you can set up location sharing with each other at the same time.