How to Set Up a Medical ID on Android

A Medical ID stores key health information on your phone. Emergency responders can see it without unlocking your phone. If you are unconscious, hurt, or unable to speak, first responders check for a Medical ID. It tells them your conditions, allergies, medications, blood type, and who to contact.

On iPhone, this feature lives in the Health app and is well known. On Android, each brand handles it a little differently. But every major Android phone has a way to store this information on the lock screen.

On Samsung Galaxy phones, look in the Samsung Health app or in Settings. On Google Pixel phones, look under Emergency Information in Settings. On other Android phones, look in Settings under "Safety & emergency" or "Emergency information."

Every Android phone running Android 4.0 or newer can store emergency contact information on the lock screen. The exact path changes by phone, but the feature is always there.

The information you should include: blood type, any serious medical conditions (diabetes, heart disease, epilepsy, etc.), major allergies (especially drug allergies — this is critical for emergency treatment), current medications (especially blood thinners, insulin, or medications with emergency significance), and at least two emergency contacts with their relationship to you.

Setting this up takes less than five minutes and could make a life-saving difference. Emergency rooms routinely check for Medical ID information when treating patients who cannot communicate.