Of course, you don’t assume you’ll ever need it, but if you do end up in an emergency, it’s nice if you can ask for help quickly. Prepare your phone to send an SOS message with these tips.
Most modern telephones are equipped with an SOS system. This allows you to signal for help with a quick button combination.
You can also call 112 if you are not able to look at your screen. You can also inform friends or family. You can even have your location sent automatically so your contacts know where to find you.
SOS on iOS
If you have an iPhone 8 or later, you’ll find this option in the settings under Emergency SOS notification. Here you can choose how you want to sound the emergency signal: by pressing the side button five times quickly, or by holding down the side button and volume button.
Both options start a countdown timer and sound an alarm. If you don’t break the clock, your smartphone will call 112 afterwards.
To add friends or family as emergency contacts, go to the “Health” app and tap your profile picture. There you go via ‘Medical ID’ to ‘Edit’ and tap the plus sign under your SOS contacts to add someone from your contact list.
After you have called the emergency services via the SOS signal, these emergency contacts will receive a text message with your location. Every time you move, they get an update. This way they can track you down or share your location with the police.
SOS op Android
On Android phones, as is often the case, it’s a bit more complicated. Where exactly you will find the SOS settings depends on the brand and type of smartphone. Some older devices may not even have the option. In that case you will have to use an app from the Play Store (search for ‘SOS’).
Chances are you’ll find the SOS features among your settings. Do you have one of the popular Samsung phones? Then go through the settings to ‘Safety and emergencies’. Here you can enable the option ‘Send SOS messages’.
You will then be given the option to add contacts to your emergency numbers. These emergency numbers are automatically notified when you press the on/off button three or four times. You can also choose to send a photo and sound fragment. On some Android phones, you will also find the option to call emergency services by pressing the button five times quickly.
In addition, Emergency Contacts lets you add people you can call anytime, even when your phone is locked. You can also enter important information about yourself under ‘Medical data’, such as your blood type or allergies. This way, emergency services can always access your data in an emergency, even if you are not able to unlock your phone yourself.
