How to Set Emergency Contact (SOS) on Android Phone

It is very important to have quick access to important medical information and set emergency contact on your Android phone in case of an emergency. Android devices give you a lot of ways to store medical information and emergency contacts that you can get to from the lock screen without opening your phone. First responders and other people who want to help can quickly find what they need.

How to Set Emergency Contact (SOS) on Android Phone

How to Set Emergency Contact on Android

Setting emergency contacts on an Android device is very easy. You can refer to the section below.

Method 1- Using Settings App

One of the easiest ways to add emergency contacts on Android is through the Emergency Information settings. Here’s how:

  1. Open Settings app on your Android device.
  2. Scroll down and tap on System and then About phone.
  3. Tap on Emergency Information.
  4. Tap on Add Emergency Contact or the + icon.
  5. Select an existing contact from your phonebook that you want to add as an emergency contact.
  6. Repeat step 5 to add multiple emergency contacts if needed.

Tap on add emergency contact

Method 2- Using Google Personal Safety App

You can also add emergency contacts through the Google Personal Safety app if your phone has it installed. This app provides additional emergency features:

  1. Open the Personal Safety app.
  2. Tap on Get Started and follow the prompts to set up the app.
  3. Tap on Your Info at the bottom.
  4. Tap on Emergency Contacts.
  5. Tap on Add Contact and select contacts from your phonebook.

How to Enable Emergency SOS

Android also has an Emergency SOS feature that can quickly call emergency service and share your location and medical information with your emergency contacts.

  1. Open the Settings app.
  2. Tap on Safety & Emergency or Users & Accounts.
  3. Tap on Emergency SOS.
  4. Toggle on Emergency SOS switch.
  5. Follow the prompts to set up the Emergency SOS feature, including adding emergency contacts and enabling location sharing.

Toggle on the Emergency SOS switch

Once enabled, you can quickly trigger Emergency SOS by pressing the power button on your phone five times in rapid succession. This will call emergency services and share your location and medical information with your emergency contacts.

How to Add Medical Information to Your Lock Screen

In addition to emergency contacts, you can also add important medical information that can be accessed from your lock screen. This includes details like blood type, allergies, medications, and medical conditions.

  1. Follow steps 1 and 2 from the Setting Up Emergency Contacts section above.
  2. Tap on Medical Info.
  3. Tap on Medical Info again.
  4. Enter your name, address, blood type, allergies, medications, and any other relevant medical information.
  5. Tap on the tick sign above when finished.

Enter your medical info | How to Set Emergency Contact on Android Phone

Note- If you’re using the Personal Safety app, you can add medical information by following these steps:

  1. Open the Personal Safety app.
  2. Tap on Your Info at the bottom.
  3. Tap on Medical Information.
  4. Enter your medical details and tap Save.

How Can You Access Emergency Information from Lock Screen

In case of an emergency, anyone can access your emergency contacts and medical information from your phone’s lock screen without unlocking it. Here’s how:

  1. On the lock screen, press the lock button three times to place an emergency call.
  2. After the call is placed, immediately press the cancel button.
  3. Tap on Emergency Information or Medical Info.
  4. Your emergency contacts and medical information will be displayed.

Screenshot of medical info on Android

From this screen, the person can call your emergency contacts or view your medical details to provide the necessary assistance.

How to Enable Automatic emergency call services in a car crash

Some android phones like Google Pixel can automatically call emergency services in a car crash. The Car Crash Detection feature is available on Pixel phones from the Pixel 3 onwards. It uses sensors like accelerometer, GPS, and microphone to detect severe car crashes.

If a severe crash is detected then phone will vibrate, ring loudly and display an alert asking if you need help. If you don’t respond within 60 seconds, it will automatically call emergency services (911) over speakerphone, stating that a car crash has occurred, and share your location coordinates.

Note- You can enable/disable this in the Personal Safety app under Car crash detection.

How to Enable Emergency Location Service on Android

  1. Open the Settings app on your Android device.
  2. Go to the Location or Safety & Emergency section. The exact menu path may vary slightly by Android version:
  • Android 12 & higher: Go to Settings and then tap on Safety & Emergency. Tap on Emergency Location Service
  • Android 11 & lower: Go to Settings and tap on Location. Tap on Advanced and tap on Emergency Location Service
  1. Toggle on the Use Emergency Location Service option.

Turn the toggle on

Once enabled then your Android phone will automatically send its precise location to emergency responders when you call or text an emergency number like 911 or 112. This uses a combination of GPS and sensors to provide an accurate location.

Also Read: How to Find SIM Card Number on Android

It may not feel like a big thing but using this option to set emergency contact on your Android phone can be of huge help in giving first responders data they will need to help you properly. If you have any queries or suggestions do let us know in the comments section below.

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