Find My and safety
Emergency SOS
Most people call this calling for help by holding the buttons.
Holding the side button with a volume button, or pressing the side button repeatedly, calls emergency services and can notify your emergency contacts with your location.
This setting is present on your iPhone.
- We have this path on file but have not yet confirmed it against an official source.
Where to find it - iOS 13 and later
- Settings
- Emergency SOS
What it does
Call with Hold and Release starts a countdown when you hold the buttons. Call with 5 Presses is an alternative trigger. After the call ends, your emergency contacts receive a message with your location, and are updated if you move significantly.
What changes
When it is on
The button gesture triggers an emergency call.
When it is off
You must dial manually.
Should you turn it on?
Good reasons to turn it on
- Calls for help without needing to see or unlock the screen.
- Contacts are told automatically, with your location.
Good reasons to turn it off
- Accidental activation in a pocket is common and calls real emergency services.
- The countdown sound is loud, which is intentional but sometimes unwanted.
Battery
No real change
Privacy
No real change
Performance
No real change
Cellular data
No real change
Storage
No real change
Out of the box: Call with Hold and Release on. Call with 5 Presses off.
Worth reading first
Questions people actually ask
- How do I stop accidental emergency calls?
- Turn off Call with 5 Presses under Emergency SOS, and keep only Hold and Release.
- How do I add emergency contacts?
- They come from Medical ID in the Health app, not from Settings.
If it is not working
- If you keep triggering it accidentally, turn off Call with 5 Presses and keep Hold and Release.
- Emergency contacts come from your Medical ID in the Health app.
- Call Quietly suppresses the countdown sound when you need to call discreetly.