How to make your iPhone call the cops if you are in danger

Photo by Georgy Rudakov on Unsplash

Everyone knows iPhones can provide you with some help if you find yourself in danger, but most of us forget to learn how to use that help until it is too late. Here is how to make your iPhone call the cops if you are in danger.

How to make your iPhone call the cops if you are in danger

Apple has created a system that might help you get help faster in the event you ever find yourself in danger while carrying your iPhone. The feature is called Emergency SOS.

The feature can handle a number of tasks that may be necessary if strife strikes. It can use your phone to:

• Lock the device in a few button presses to fox a thief.
• Store essential and life-saving medical information trained professionals can use if you have a crisis.
• And call the cops/emergency services with a few button presses if you are in trouble.

How to call the emergency services

Enabled by default, a setting in Settings>Emergency SOS gives you two ways to call emergency services. There are two ways to achieve this: Call with Hold and Call with 5 Presses.

• Call with Hold means that if you press and hold the side and volume buttons the emergency SOS slider will appear. If you then continue to hold down those buttons an 8-second countdown begins and a loud alert sound, like a klaxon. Once that alert sequence ends, your iPhone will call the emergency services.
• Thing is when you are in trouble you won’t want to mess around trying to find two buttons, which is where Call with 5 Presses comes into its own. All you must do is rapidly press the side button five times after which the same countdown begins along with an alert sound.

The easiest way to call the emergency services is to rapidly press the side button of your device five times. (This works for both iOS 15 and earlier iterations of the OS).

[Also read: How to switch on snow and rain fall alerts on iPhone]

You’ll also find a toggle setting that lets you disable the alert sound. That’s great if you don’t want to warn someone that you’ve placed an emergency call, but not terribly useful if you accidentally press the side button five times in your pocket; the first time you’ll know you’ve done so is when emergency teams show up.

How to stop the call

If you start one of these calls by accident. During the alert process you’ll be presented with a big button you can use to terminate the call. The klaxon will stop sounding and you’ll be secure in the knowledge you didn’t accidentally call the cops.

How to lock your iPhone

If you begin an emergency call using either of the above sequences your device will recognize this and next time you attempt to open it up it will request your passcode. That’s great as it means your device can’t easily be used by someone who takes it from you during that danger situation.

Here’s how to set up Medical ID on your iPhone.

Photo by Georgy Rudakov on Unsplash

Please follow me on Twitter, or join me in the AppleHolic’s bar & grill and Apple Discussions groups on MeWe.