Unlock the Power of Your iPhone: A Comprehensive Guide to Using Safety Check and Emergency SOS Features

While the iPhone has undoubtedly become an essential aspect of our daily lives, many users are still unaware of the potentially life-saving features it offers. In this article, we will explore two such features: Safety Check and Emergency SOS. These powerful tools can help ensure your safety during emergency situations or when you simply need some peace of mind. So let's dive in and learn how to make use of these valuable iPhone features.

Understanding Safety Check

Safety Check is a built-in feature within the Find My app on your iPhone that allows you to share your location with selected contacts in case of an emergency or when you feel unsafe. This feature was introduced with iOS 13 and is available on iPhones running iOS 13 or later.

How to enable Safety Check

1. Click the Settings app on your iPhone.
2. Scroll down and tap Privacy.
3. Select Location Services.
4. Ensure that Location Services are enabled by toggling the switch on if it is not already.
5. Scroll down and tap Find My.
6. Select Share My Location and toggle the switch on if it is not already enabled.

Now that you have enabled location sharing, you can proceed to set up Safety Check for specific contacts.

Setting up Safety Check for Contacts

1. Open the Find My app on your iPhone.
2. Select People from the bottom menu bar.
3. If you have not shared your location with anyone yet, tap Start Sharing Location. If you have already shared your location, skip to step 6.
4. Enter the name or phone number of the contact you would like to share your location with and select them from the list that appears.
5. Tap Send and choose when you want to stop sharing your location, either for One Hour, Until End of Day, or Indefinitely.
6. Select the contact you want to set up Safety Check for if they are not already highlighted.
7. Tap Add under Notifications at the bottom of their contact card.
8. Select Notify [Contact Name] and choose one of the following options:
   • When I Leave: This will notify your contact when you leave a specified area (e.g., work, home).
   • When I Arrive: This will notify your contact when you arrive at a specified area (e.g., work, home).
   • At Time: This will notify your contact at a predetermined time of day (e.g., every day at 6 PM).

Your chosen contacts will now receive notifications based on your selections. You can modify these settings or remove contacts as needed by returning to their contact card in the Find My app.

Navigating Emergency SOS

The Emergency SOS feature on iPhone allows users to quickly call emergency services and send an alert with their location information to selected emergency contacts. This can be especially helpful during accidents, medical emergencies, or unsafe situations where immediate assistance is needed.

Setting up Emergency SOS and Emergency Contacts

1. Click the Settings on your iPhone.
2. Scroll down and tap Emergency SOS.
3. Enable or disable the Call with Side Button feature, which allows you to call emergency services by pressing the side button five times in quick succession. Note that this option may be labeled differently depending on your iPhone model.
4. Click Customize emergency contacts in the Health section.
5. If prompted, enter your iPhone passcode.
6. Select Add Emergency Contact and choose a contact from your list. You can add multiple contacts if desired.
7. Select a relationship for each chosen contact and tap Done.

Your emergency contacts are now set up, and they will receive an alert with your location information if you use the Emergency SOS feature on your iPhone.

Using Emergency SOS

To activate the Emergency SOS feature on your iPhone, follow these steps:

1. Press and hold the Side button (or Volume button) along with either of the Volume buttons on your iPhone until the Emergency SOS slider appears. Note that this step may vary depending on your iPhone model.
2. Drag the slider to call emergency services immediately or continue holding both buttons until a countdown begins and an alert sounds. If you have enabled the Call with Side Button, you can also press the Side button five times in quick succession to initiate a call.
3. When the call ends, an automatic text message with your current location will be sent to your emergency contacts. Your location will continue to update as long as your situation remains active or until you stop sharing it in Messages.

The Safety Check and Emergency SOS features on iPhones are powerful tools that can provide peace of mind and possibly save lives during emergencies. By taking a few minutes to set them up and familiarize yourself with their functions, you can ensure that help is just a few taps away when you need it most.