If you would like to learn more about the SOS features on Apple’s devices and more specifically its iPhone. This quick guide will take you through everything you need to know about the SOS service and how to trigger it should you need help in an emergency. As you problem already know “SOS” stands for “Save Our Souls” or “Save Our Ship,” which is a distress signal used in emergencies. In the context of an iPhone, it refers to the Emergency SOS feature that allows you to quickly call emergency services by just pressing a button combination.
Quick Links:
- Setting up iPhone SOS calls
- How to activate SOS on iPhone
- What does SOS mean on iPhone
- Adding emergency contacts
- SOS shares your location
- What to do if you accidentally call the emergency services
- Crash Detection
Setting up iPhone SOS calls
Apple has added an SOS menu which is available on iPhone 8 devices and later that allows you to select how you would like to be able to call the emergency services in the case of an accident or emergency. You can either call with hold and release as explained below or call the emergency services by rapidly pressing the side button five times to start a countdown. When the countdown ends, your iPhone will call the emergency services automatically. You can also set the SOS iPhone call feature to activate quietly, disabling any warning alarms and flashes.
How to activate SOS on iPhone
To activate Emergency SOS call on your iPhone, simply press and hold the side button and one of the volume buttons simultaneously. A slider will appear on the screen, allowing you to swipe and start the emergency call. Or if you cannot make a call if you continue to hold the buttons, a countdown will begin, and at the end of the countdown, the emergency call will be made automatically for you if you have an iPhone 8 or later. Also, if you release the iPhone buttons after the SOS countdown has ended, your phone will again automatically call the emergency services. If SOS appears in your iPhone status bar, it means a mobile network is available for emergency calls.
What does SOS mean on iPhone?
When the iPhone Emergency SOS feature is activated, your phone will call the local emergency number, for example, 911 in the United States or 999 in the United Kingdom and share your location with emergency responders. Additionally, if you have set up emergency contacts in your Health app, your iPhone will send them a message with your location information. Remember to only use this feature in an actual emergency, as misuse can lead to unnecessary use of emergency resources and worry for relatives or friends.
Worldwide SOS options
In some countries and regions, you may need to choose the service that you need. For example, in China mainland you can choose police, fire or ambulance. It is also worth mentioning that emergency calls use a cellular connection or Wi-Fi Calling with an Internet connection from your Apple Watch or iPhone.
Adding emergency contacts
If you would like to add emergency contacts to your iPhone contacts list, simply open the Health app and tap your profile picture and follow the instructions below
1. Press the Medical ID button
2. Select Edit, then scroll to Emergency Contacts.
3. Press the Add button in the full of a green circle with a + in it to add an emergency contact.
4. Select a contact, then add their relationship.
5. Once you have finished, press Done to confirm and save your changes.
SOS shares your location
While your location is being shared, you will receive a reminder to stop your iPhone sharing your location every 4 hours, lasting for a total duration of 24 hours. To halt the updates, tap on the status bar and select the on-screen “Stop Sharing Emergency Location” option.
What to do if you accidentally call the emergency services
If you accidentally started the countdown on your iPhone to begin an SOS call, you can cancel it by releasing the side button and volume button before the countdown ends if you have an iPhone 8 or later. On earlier iPhones, simply press the Stop button and then tap Stop calling to cancel the emergency call. If for some reason the call has gone through by accident, do not simply hang up wait until a responder answers and then explain what has happened so that they know you do not need any help sent to your location.
Crash Detection
Recently Apple has added a new crash protection feature to its latest iPhones and watches allowing your iPhone to automatically call emergency services if it thinks you have been involved in a severe car crash. The Apple Crash Detection feature has been designed to detect front-impact, side-impact, and rear-end collisions, and rollovers—involving sedans, minivans, SUVs, pickup trucks, and other passenger cars.
When a crash has been detected, your iPhone Apple Watch will sound an alarm and display an alert and will trigger a call to the emergency services if you do not respond. Sometimes the iPhone Crash Detection has been triggered when enjoying funfair rides, so make sure you do not inadvertently call emergency services to your location when you are enjoying yourself.
iPhone Crash Detection is currently supported on the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro phones loaded with the latest version of iOS as well as the Apple Watch Series 8, Apple Watch SE (2nd generation), and Apple Watch Ultra with the latest version of watchOS.
If you need any further help setting up or using the iPhone SOS feature, jump over to the official Apple support website or book an appointment with an Apple Genius Bar representative to help you answer any questions you may have.
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