How to Use Emergency SOS on Your iPhone to Call for Help

If you ever fall, feel unwell, or find yourself in a situation where you can't easily unlock your phone and open the Phone app, your iPhone has a feature built for exactly that moment. It's called Emergency SOS, and it can call for help even if you're having trouble getting to the usual dial screen.

This guide walks you through how Emergency SOS on iPhone works, how to use it, and what happens after the call connects. It takes just a few minutes to learn, and it could matter the day you need it most.

You don't need a new phone or a special app for any of this. Emergency SOS is already built into your iPhone's settings — you just need to know where to find it and how the buttons work.

What Emergency SOS does

Emergency SOS lets your iPhone call emergency services (911 in the United States) using just the buttons on the side of the phone — no unlocking, no finding an app. Once the call connects, your phone can also:

• Send a text to the emergency contacts you've chosen, letting them know you may need help and sharing your location.
• Keep sharing updates on your location for a while afterward, in case you move.
• Share your Medical ID information (if you've set one up) with emergency responders, so they know things like your allergies or medications.

How to call for help with Emergency SOS

On iPhone 8 and newer (which covers most iPhones in use today), here's how it works:

1. Press and hold the side button (on the right edge of the phone) and either volume button at the same time.
2. Keep holding. You'll feel the phone vibrate, hear an alert, and see the Emergency SOS slider appear on the screen with a countdown.
3. You can either drag the slider to call right away, or just keep holding the buttons until the countdown finishes — your iPhone will then call emergency services on its own.
4. Once you're connected, tell the dispatcher what's wrong and where you are, if you can.

If the call started by accident, press the Stop button that appears, then tap Stop Calling.

Turn on "Call with 5 Presses" for an even quicker way

Some people find it easier to remember a quick series of button presses instead. You can turn this on in your settings:

1. Open Settings, then tap Emergency SOS.
2. Turn on Call with 5 Presses.

Once that's on, pressing the side button five times quickly starts a countdown and alert, then calls emergency services automatically — helpful if your hands are shaking or you only have a second to act.

What happens after the call

After an Emergency SOS call ends, your iPhone keeps sharing your location with the emergency contacts you've set up, and lets them know if you move. You'll get a notification about ten minutes later reminding you that sharing is still on. If you want to stop it, tap the status bar at the top of your screen and choose Stop Sharing Emergency Location.

If you have an iPhone 14 or newer, you may also be able to reach emergency services by satellite when you have no cell signal and no Wi-Fi — your phone will walk you through it on screen if that happens.

Make sure your Medical ID is ready too

Emergency SOS works even better when your Medical ID is filled in, since it's what lets responders see your emergency contacts and health information. If you haven't set yours up yet, we've written a step-by-step guide to setting up Medical ID on your iPhone that only takes a few minutes.

What to do if you're stuck

If the slider or countdown doesn't appear the way it's described here, it's possible your iPhone's buttons or settings are slightly different, or software has changed since this was written. Don't keep pressing buttons at random near an emergency — if you're genuinely in danger, dial 911 directly if you can. For help getting the feature set up correctly ahead of time, so it's ready before you ever need it, that's exactly what we're here for.

More calm, plain-English phone tips are always on the Porchswing blog.

Still stuck? Porchswing can walk you through it at your pace — call (916) 521-0065.

Common questions

Does using Emergency SOS cost extra money?

No. Calling emergency services this way works the same as dialing 911 normally and doesn't use up cellular data or minutes any differently.

Will my phone call 911 if I just press the buttons by accident?

If you only press briefly, nothing happens. The slider and countdown give you a few seconds to let go or press Stop before any call goes through.

Does Emergency SOS work if my iPhone is locked?

Yes. It's designed to work even when your phone is locked, which is the point — you don't need your passcode or Face ID to use it.