How to add emergency contacts on iPhone (and what they get)

What emergency contacts do on an iPhone

An emergency contact on iPhone is not a favorite in your phone book. It's a person saved in your Medical ID whom your iPhone messages automatically when something serious happens. Per Apple's pages, read on 7 November 2026 (iPhone User Guide for iOS 27; the iOS 26 guide shows the same steps):

• After Emergency SOS: when the emergency call ends, your iPhone texts them unless you cancel, with your current location if available and updates when it changes for a period of time (Apple: Medical ID).
• After a severe car crash: with Crash Detection (iPhone 14 or later), your device messages them with your location and says you've been in a severe crash (Apple: Crash Detection).
• Off the grid: with Emergency SOS via satellite you can choose to notify them; on iMessage with iOS 16.4 or later they can see a live transcript and a map (Apple: satellite).
• From your Apple Watch: after an SOS call on the watch, your emergency contacts (and an active Check In contact) get a text with your location (Apple Watch).

They are not told anything day to day, they can't see where you are, and Apple doesn't mention telling them when you add them. So tell them yourself. If you also want people to know you got home on an ordinary evening, that's a different tool: Check In for one trip, or Warden (top pick) for a circle that sees each other every day and gets your SOS too.

How to add emergency contacts on iPhone

Step by step in the Health app

1. Open the Health app.
2. Tap your picture (top right).
3. Tap Medical ID.
4. Tap Get Started (first time) or Edit.
5. Scroll to Emergency Contacts and tap Add Emergency Contact.
6. Choose a person from your contacts (the phone may also ask for the relationship, such as mother, partner or friend).
7. Repeat for a second person, so there's a backup if the first doesn't see the text.
8. Tap Done.

(Apple: Set up and view your Medical ID)

Tip from Apple: touch and hold the Health app icon on the Home Screen and choose Medical ID to jump straight there.

From the Emergency SOS settings

1. Open Settings > Emergency SOS.
2. Scroll down to the emergency contacts option. Apple's guide says to tap Set Up Emergency Contacts or Edit Emergency Contacts, which takes you to the Health app.
3. Continue from step 4 above.

(Apple: Contact emergency services)

Edit or remove an emergency contact

1. Open Health > your picture > Medical ID > Edit.
2. Under Emergency Contacts, delete the person you want to remove.
3. Tap Done.

Make your Medical ID visible to responders

A Medical ID is the health card that comes with your emergency contacts: conditions, allergies, medications, blood type. Apple says it can be shared automatically during an emergency call (US and Canada only) and shown on your Lock Screen:

1. Open Health > your picture > Medical ID.
2. Tap Edit and scroll to the bottom.
3. Turn on Show When Locked.
4. Turn on Emergency Call (shares Medical ID during a 911 call, US and Canada).
5. Tap Done.

How a first responder reads it: on a Face ID iPhone they swipe up (on iPhone SE they press the Home button), tap Emergency on the passcode screen, then tap Medical ID. Check it on your own phone once, so you know it shows.

What your emergency contact receives

Apple also says your location is only included if Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services > System Services > Emergency Calls & SOS is on (Apple). Sources as of 7 November 2026.

Emergency contacts on Android, for comparison

If someone in your family is on Android, here is where the same thing lives.

Pixel and stock Android (Safety app)

1. Open the Safety app (it's called Personal Safety in the Play Store).
2. Sign in to your Google Account.
3. Tap Your info > Emergency contacts > Add contact, and choose a contact.
4. For medical info, tap Medical information and fill in blood type, allergies or medications.
5. To show it on the lock screen, tap Emergency info access > Show when locked.

(Google: Get help during an emergency). Google adds that without a SIM or eSIM you may still place emergency calls but can't call your emergency contacts.

Samsung Galaxy (One UI)

1. Open Settings > Safety and emergency > Emergency contacts.
2. Tap Add emergency contact, choose a person, then Done.
3. To remove someone, touch and hold the name, then Remove.
4. For health details, go back to Safety and emergency > Medical info and fill in conditions, allergies, medications or blood type, then Save.

(Samsung US)

Troubleshooting emergency contacts on iPhone

My contact didn't get a text after SOS. Apple says emergency contacts aren't notified automatically if Messages isn't your selected texting app or has been deleted. Check that the person is still in Medical ID and has a mobile number saved in Contacts. If you tapped cancel after the call, no text goes out.

The text had no location. Turn on Emergency Calls & SOS under Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services > System Services. Apple sends the location "if available"; indoors without a GPS fix it can be rough.

Medical ID doesn't show on the Lock Screen. Open Health > Medical ID > Edit and turn on Show When Locked.

I can't find Medical ID. It's in the Health app, not in Settings or Contacts. If Health was deleted, reinstall it from the App Store.

I'm abroad. On Apple Watch, Apple warns that while abroad the watch connects to local emergency services but may not send your location or a text to your emergency contacts. Medical ID sharing during a call is US and Canada only.

Can I add a contact who is on Android? Yes. The SOS message is a text, so any phone that receives texts gets it. Satellite SOS sends non-Apple devices a text alert rather than the live transcript.

Warden (top pick): your people, before and beyond an emergency call

Emergency contacts only hear from you after a 911 call or a crash. Many moments aren't that: a long night shift, a parent walking home from the bus, a hike where you want someone to know you're back. Warden lets the same people be there for the everyday and the bad day:

1. Install Warden and start a circle; invite the people you'd put in Medical ID (up to 10, invitees join free).
2. Each of them enters the invite code on their own phone; you approve, and everyone switches sharing on themselves.
3. Add places like home or work. Your circle gets a note when you arrive or leave, so "I'm home" happens without a text.
4. If something feels wrong, hold Warden's SOS for two seconds: everyone in your circles gets your current or last known position, even if you had paused sharing.

Warden doesn't call 911 and has no crash or fall detection, so keep your Medical ID contacts set up as well. iPhone (iOS 17+) and Android (8.0+) in one circle.

Who to choose as an emergency contact

• Someone who answers texts quickly at the hours you're most likely to need them. A partner on night shifts may not be the best only choice.
• Someone nearby, plus one person further away who always picks up.
• Someone who knows your Medical ID details, like medications, and your doctor's name.
• Tell them. Explain that a text from your phone saying you called emergency services is real, and what you'd like them to do (call you back, call a neighbor, come over).

For older parents, pair this with a gentle daily routine: see a check-in app for elderly parents. For your own nights out, see the personal safety app guide.

FAQ

How do I add an emergency contact on iPhone?

Open the Health app, tap your picture, then Medical ID. Tap Edit (or Get Started), scroll to Emergency Contacts, tap Add Emergency Contact, choose the person, then tap Done.

Where are emergency contacts on iPhone?

They are in your Medical ID in the Health app. You can also reach them from Settings > Emergency SOS, which sends you to the Health app to set up or edit them.

How do I set up Medical ID on iPhone?

Open Health, tap your picture, tap Medical ID, then Get Started or Edit and enter your conditions, allergies, medications and emergency contacts. Turn on Show When Locked and Emergency Call at the bottom so responders can see it.

What happens when you add an emergency contact on iPhone?

Nothing visible to them at first; Apple doesn't say they are notified. After you use Emergency SOS, they get a text with your current location and updates for a period of time, unless you cancel.

Can emergency contacts see my location all the time?

No. They only get your location after an Emergency SOS call, a detected severe crash or a satellite SOS where you choose to notify them. Ongoing location sharing is a separate choice, made in Find My or an app like Warden.

How do I view someone's Medical ID on a locked iPhone?

On a Face ID iPhone, swipe up; on iPhone SE, press the Home button. Tap Emergency on the passcode screen, then tap Medical ID. It only shows if the owner turned on Show When Locked.

Is there an emergency contact app?

The emergency contact feature is built into iPhone (Health app) and Android (Safety app or Samsung's Safety and emergency settings). An app like Warden (top pick) adds a circle that gets an SOS and arrival alerts on iPhone and Android, without calling emergency services.

Why didn't my emergency contact get my SOS message?

The usual reasons: Messages isn't your texting app or was deleted, the contact has no mobile number saved, you canceled the message after the call, or Emergency Calls & SOS location access is off.