Your smartphone already has features that can call 911 without you saying a word, show paramedics your medical information from your locked screen, and automatically alert the people closest to you the moment something goes wrong. Most people have never set any of them up.

This episode walks you through all of it: Emergency SOS, Medical ID, emergency contacts, crash detection, and location sharing. Each one takes just a few minutes to configure and none of them require any tech experience. The catch is that they only work if you set them up before you need them.

What you will learn in this episode:
What Emergency SOS is, how to trigger it on both iPhone and Android, and what your phone does automatically when you activate it

• Why Emergency SOS via Satellite on iPhone 14 and later can reach 911 even when there is no cell signal
• What Medical ID is, why first responders look for it on your lock screen, and exactly how to set it up on iPhone and Android
• The one setting inside Medical ID you must turn on for it to be accessible in an emergency
• How to choose the right emergency contacts and why you should tell them they are on your list
• How crash detection works on iPhone 14 and later and Google Pixel 8 and later, and how to confirm it is enabled on your phone
• Why proactive location sharing before a trip adds a safety layer that Emergency SOS alone cannot provide

Your action checklist from this episode:

• Open your Medical ID today: Health app on iPhone, or Settings then Safety and Emergency then Medical Information on Android. Add your name, any major allergies, and turn on "Show When Locked"
• Add at least one emergency contact and tell that person they are on your list
• Practice triggering Emergency SOS on your phone once, without completing the call, so the motion is familiar
• Check whether your phone supports crash detection and confirm it is turned on
• Before your next trip, send someone a quick text with where you are going and when you expect to be back

Related episodes:

• How to Share Your Location with Family: Google Maps and Apple Find My Explained -- December 3, 2024

Resources:

• iPhone Medical ID: Health app, then your profile photo, then Medical ID
• Android Medical Information: Settings, then Safety and Emergency, then Medical Information
• iPhone crash detection: Settings, then Emergency SOS
• Android crash detection (Pixel): Personal Safety app
• [email protected]
• YourTechMakeover.com
• BravoITC.com

Support the show: Listeners who contribute $25 or more receive $25 off a one-on-one tech consultation with Frank. Visit YourTechMakeover.com for details.

Chapters:
00:00 If you could not speak, could your phone call 911? 
00:42 Welcome and what we are covering 
01:41 The fire extinguisher analogy: configure first 
02:00 Emergency SOS on iPhone and Android 
03:35 Support message 
03:56 Medical ID and Show When Locked 
05:50 Emergency contacts: who to add and tell them 
07:12 Crash detection 
08:25 Four things to do this week 
09:08 Listener question 
09:25 Outro