What Happens If You Press Emergency on iPhone Lock Screen?
Reading Time: 3 minutes You may have noticed “Emergency” at the bottom-left of the iPhone passcode (Lock) screen. Although it seems clear that you can use this to dial emergency services, does this happen immediately when you tap Emergency? In this article, we’ll tell you what to expect when you tap Emergency.
What happens when you press Emergency on the iPhone Lock Screen?
First of all, tapping Emergency from the passcode screen doesn’t immediately dial emergency services; you will need to manually dial the emergency number. The second important thing to know here is that you can tap Emergency to access the iPhone owner’s Medical ID that they have stored on their phone.
How to call for emergency services
If you pick up someone else’s iPhone, even if you don’t know their passcode, you can still use it to dial emergency services.
- Turn on the phone if it is off: If the iPhone is turned off, press and hold the Side button until the Apple logo appears.
- Tap the screen to wake the phone, then swipe up from the bottom of the screen. The iPhone will probably try to use Face ID. When that fails, the passcode screen will appear.
- Tap Emergency in the lower-left part of the screen.
- You will see the keypad where you can dial the emergency number. For example, in the US, you will dial 911.
- If the owner of the iPhone is in distress, you may also want to view their Medical ID (see the next section).
- If you change your mind, tap Cancel in the lower-right corner.
How to view the owner’s Medical ID
Not everyone will have set up their Medical ID, but it can be useful to have in case you are in an emergency situation and need help. The Medical ID information includes basic data such as age, medical conditions, allergies, blood type, weight, height, and language. It also includes Emergency Contacts, which you can dial from the Medical ID screen.
You can check if the iPhone owner has their Medical ID set up:
- Turn on the phone if it is off: If the iPhone is turned off, press and hold the Side button until the Apple logo appears.
- Tap the screen to wake the phone, then swipe up from the bottom of the screen. The iPhone will probably try to use Face ID. When that fails, the passcode screen will appear.
- Tap Emergency in the lower-left part of the screen (it doesn’t dial emergency services when you tap it).
- Tap on Medical ID in the lower-left corner of the screen. You can view basic information regarding the person’s medical conditions. You can also dial their Emergency Contacts from the Medical ID screen.
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