How to Add Emergency Contacts to Your iPhone

Emergency contacts on your iPhone appear on the lock screen so first responders can contact your family — even without your passcode.

In this guide (5 steps):

1.Open Medical ID in the Health app
2.Fill in your health information
3.Add emergency contacts
4.Enable "Show When Locked"
5.Access Medical ID from the lock screen

Open Medical ID in the Health app

~15s

Open the Health app (red heart icon on iPhone). Tap your profile picture in the top right corner. Tap "Medical ID." If you've never set it up, tap "Create Medical ID." If you already have one, tap "Edit."

Fill in your health information

~24s

Fill in what's relevant: - Blood type (if you know it) - Allergies and reactions - Medical conditions (diabetes, heart conditions, etc.) - Medications you take regularly - Organ donor status You don't need to fill in everything — any information you include could be helpful to emergency responders.

Quick Tip

Quick Tip: Include your doctor's name and phone number in the "Notes" field — first responders can call them for more information.

Add emergency contacts

~21s

Scroll down to "Emergency Contacts" and tap the "+" button. Choose a contact from your contacts list — a spouse, adult child, sibling, or close friend. You can add more than one. Enter their relationship (Spouse, Son, Daughter, Friend, etc.). These people will be shown on screen if someone accesses your Medical ID, and they'll be called automatically if you use Emergency SOS.

Enable "Show When Locked"

~15s

Make sure the "Show When Locked" toggle is on (green). This is what allows first responders to see your Medical ID and emergency contacts from the lock screen without needing your passcode.

Access Medical ID from the lock screen

~18s

On a locked iPhone, tap the Emergency button in the bottom corner of the passcode screen. Then tap "Medical ID" to see the information. First responders know to look here. You can also test this yourself — lock your phone, enter the Emergency screen, and verify your information appears correctly.

You Did It!

You've completed: How to Add Emergency Contacts to Your iPhone

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iPhone has two related features for emergencies: Medical ID (stores your health information — blood type, allergies, conditions — visible to first responders without your passcode) and Emergency Contacts (people your iPhone calls automatically if you use Emergency SOS, and people a first responder can reach from the Medical ID screen).

Setting these up takes about five minutes and could be important in a medical emergency. First responders are trained to check Medical ID on phones at accident scenes. A family member's contact details being there has helped reunite people with their families in emergencies.

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