Here is the easiest way to make an Emergency SOS call on your iPhone in just a few simple steps.
The iPhone has myriad safety features included to help keep its users safe, including Emergency SOS.
And while it’s a feature that we hope not to use too often, if at all, you should know how to activate it. It’s also important to note that you will need to enable Emergency SOS beforehand, which you can find out how to do in our previous article.
To make sure that you are prepared in case of an emergency, keep reading to find out the simplest way to make an Emergency SOS call from your iPhone.
What you’ll need:
- We used an iPhone 12 Mini running iOS 16
The Short Version
- Hold down on the lock and volume buttons for up to three seconds/Press the lock button quickly five times
- Slide the Emergency SOS button
- Wait to speak to emergency services
Step
1Hold down on the lock and volume buttons for up to three seconds/Press the lock button quickly five times
The first step will depend on what settings you have on your iPhone, which you can find in our How to enable Emergency SOS on iPhone.
If you have chosen the first option, you will need to press down on both the lock and volume buttons at the same time to bring up the Emergency SOS screen.
Otherwise, press the lock button five times quickly to bring up the screen. You may have one or both of these settings turned on, we recommend you try and remember which method you have picked so you know how to access Emergency SOS.Step
2Slide the Emergency SOS button
Once you have Emergency SOS activated a notification screen will show up. Slide the SOS button to activate it. Otherwise, you can keep holding down on the lock and volume buttons to automatically start a countdown, after the countdown emergency services will be called automatically.
If you have pressed the lock button five times, the countdown will also begin automatically.Step
3Wait to speak to emergency services
Wait for the call to be answered.
Troubleshooting
If you want to find out how to enable Emergency SOS on your iPhone, check out our how-to for a simple guide.
There is no set time for how long Emergency SOS takes, although activating it should take less than 15 seconds.
Emergency SOS will call emergency services and it will call your emergency contacts if you have any set up prior.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.