A hard fall, a car crash, or a sudden health scare can happen in seconds. In that moment, dialing a phone and explaining where you are can be the hardest part.
Apple built two features to close that gap. Emergency SOS lets an iPhone call for help with just a few button presses, even from the Lock Screen. Fall Detection, on an Apple Watch, can notice a hard fall and call for help on its own if the wearer cannot respond.
This guide walks through what each feature actually does, how to turn them on with today’s menu paths, and how to fill in the medical information that makes an emergency call more useful to the people who answer it.
What does Emergency SOS do on iPhone?
Emergency SOS lets an iPhone call local emergency services with a button press, even when the phone is locked, and it can also text chosen emergency contacts with the phone’s location. No setup is required to use the basic feature. It is built into every iPhone and works right from the Lock Screen.
Plain talk: Emergency SOS
Emergency SOS is Apple’s name for the fast way to call for help from an iPhone or Apple Watch without entering a passcode or opening the Phone app first.
How to trigger Emergency SOS manually
According to Apple’s guide, Use SOS to contact emergency services on your iPhone, there are two ways to start an emergency call on iPhone.
- Press and hold the side button and either volume button at the same time.
- Keep holding until you see sliders on the screen and hear a countdown.
- Let go once the countdown ends, and the iPhone calls emergency services automatically. You can also drag the Emergency Call slider yourself to call right away without waiting.
There is a second way to trigger it, if you turn it on first:
- Open Settings.
- Tap Emergency SOS.
- Turn on Call with 5 Presses.
With this on, pressing the side button quickly five times in a row starts the emergency call sequence, with a countdown and a warning alert first so it is not called by accident.
Try this
Practice the side button and volume button method once, calmly, without letting go early. You can cancel any time before the countdown ends by lifting your fingers off the buttons. It will not call anyone unless you let the countdown finish or drag the slider.
What happens automatically after the call
Once Emergency SOS connects a call, the iPhone can also, according to Apple’s guide on emergency calls and texts:
- Send a text message to the emergency contacts you have chosen, letting them know you made an emergency call, unless you cancel this.
- Share your current location with those contacts, and keep sending updated location for a while afterward.
- Share your Medical ID information with emergency services in the United States, if you have turned that sharing on.
Safety tip
Emergency SOS is for real emergencies. Practicing the button press is fine, but always let the call go through or hang up quickly and explain it was an accident, rather than ignoring an accidental call. Emergency dispatchers treat a hang up as a possible real emergency and may call back or send help.
Does it call the right number when traveling?
Yes. The iPhone and Apple Watch use the correct local emergency number for wherever the device currently is. In the United States and Canada that is 911. In the United Kingdom it is 999. In Australia it is 000. Readers traveling between these countries do not need to change any setting. The device figures out the right number from location and carrier information.
What is Fall Detection on Apple Watch, and which models support it?
Fall Detection is a feature on Apple Watch that can sense a hard fall and, if the wearer does not respond, call emergency services on its own. It is separate from Emergency SOS on iPhone, and it requires an Apple Watch. An iPhone by itself cannot detect a fall.
Fall Detection works on Apple Watch Series 4 and later, Apple Watch SE, and Apple Watch Ultra, according to Apple’s support page Use Fall Detection with Apple Watch. Earlier Apple Watch models do not have the motion sensors this feature needs.
Plain talk: Fall Detection
Fall Detection uses the watch’s motion sensors to notice the sudden, sharp movement pattern of a hard fall, separate from normal walking, sitting down, or exercise.
How Fall Detection turns on automatically for some people
Apple’s watch support guide notes that when someone 55 or older sets up a new Apple Watch, Fall Detection can turn on automatically if that age is entered during setup. Anyone upgrading an existing Apple Watch, or who set it up before entering their age, should turn it on by hand using the steps below.
How to turn on Fall Detection
You can turn Fall Detection on from the iPhone or directly on the watch. Apple’s guide “Manage Fall Detection on Apple Watch” gives both paths.
From the Apple Watch app on iPhone:
- Open the Watch app on the paired iPhone.
- Tap the My Watch tab.
- Tap Emergency SOS.
- Turn on Fall Detection.
- Choose Always On or Only On During Workouts.
Directly on the Apple Watch:
- Open Settings on the watch.
- Tap SOS.
- Tap Fall Detection.
- Turn on the toggle.
- Choose Always On or Only On During Workouts.
Try this
Choose “Always On” for an older adult who lives alone or spends time alone during the day. “Only On During Workouts” is meant for younger, more active users who want fewer alerts during normal daily movement.
What happens when the watch detects a fall
When Apple Watch detects a hard fall, it taps the wearer’s wrist, sounds an alarm, and shows an alert on the screen. The wearer can respond right away by tapping Close in the corner or tapping I’m OK.
If the watch senses that the wearer has stayed still for about a minute, it assumes they may be unable to respond. It then starts a loud, roughly 30 second countdown with an alarm and, according to Apple’s Fall Detection support page, calls emergency services automatically once that countdown finishes. It also sends a text message to the wearer’s emergency contacts with their location.
If you do not respond
This automatic call is the entire point of the feature. It exists for the exact moment when someone has fallen hard enough that they cannot reach or tap their phone. The wrist tap and alarm give a chance to cancel a false alarm quickly, while the countdown and automatic call make sure a real emergency still gets help even with no response at all.
What is Crash Detection, and how is it different?
Crash Detection is a related but separate feature for car accidents rather than falls. On iPhone 14 and later, and on Apple Watch Series 8, Apple Watch SE (2nd generation), and Apple Watch Ultra and later, the device can sense the motion and sound pattern of a severe car crash, such as a front, side, or rear impact, or a rollover, according to Apple’s support page Use Crash Detection on iPhone or Apple Watch to call for help in an accident.
If a severe crash is detected, the device sounds an alarm and shows an alert for about 10 seconds. If there is no response, it begins a louder countdown, and if there is still no response, it calls emergency services and messages emergency contacts with the location, similar to Fall Detection.
Crash Detection is on by default on supported devices. To check or turn it off:
- Open Settings on iPhone.
- Tap Emergency SOS.
- Check that Call After Severe Crash is set the way you want.
On Apple Watch, the same setting is under Settings, SOS, Call After Severe Crash on the watch, or Emergency SOS in the Watch app on iPhone. Turning it off on one paired device turns it off on both, since it is a shared setting.
How do I set up Medical ID so first responders have useful information?
Medical ID is a short medical summary that first responders can see on a locked iPhone screen or during an Emergency SOS call, without needing a passcode. Setting it up takes a few minutes and makes any emergency call far more useful.
According to Apple’s support page Set up your Medical ID in the Health app on your iPhone, here is how to add it:
- Open the Health app.
- Tap your profile picture in the upper right corner.
- Tap Medical ID.
- Tap Edit, or Get Started if this is the first time.
- Add conditions, allergies, medications, blood type, and an emergency contact, as relevant.
- Turn on Show When Locked, so this information appears on the Lock Screen without a passcode.
- Turn on Share During Emergency Call, so Medical ID is sent to emergency services automatically during an Emergency SOS call.
- Tap Done to save.
Plain talk: emergency contact
An emergency contact is a person, such as an adult child or a close friend, who Emergency SOS and Fall Detection can text automatically with your location. This is different from the contact list already in your Phone app, so it needs to be added here separately.
Safety tip
Medical ID is not a substitute for a written list kept somewhere a family member can find it, and it should never include full account numbers, passwords, or a home security code. Stick to medical facts and a phone number for someone who can be reached quickly.
Where to go from here
Emergency SOS and Fall Detection work quietly in the background once they are set up, and most people only think about them again if they are ever needed. For a deeper walkthrough of these and dozens of other iPhone safety and everyday settings, in the same large print, step by step style as this article, see Your iPhone.
If a scam call or text ever worries you more than a fall might, our Scam-Stopper Kit (free when you join our email letter) is a good next step, and the guide on making text bigger on iPhone pairs well with getting these safety settings in place. Setting up a phone for a parent from a distance? See how to set up a phone for an aging parent and how to help a parent with their phone remotely for the wider picture, and comparing FaceTime, Zoom and WhatsApp for calling grandkids if staying in touch day to day is the next thing on your list.
