In this episode, Thomas Domville discusses the workings of the Emergency SOS feature on iOS. This feature is designed to be a swift and straightforward method for summoning assistance and notifying emergency contacts. Upon activation, it dials the nearest emergency service and transmits your whereabouts. For iPhone 14 models and newer, it’s capable of establishing a connection with satellite services in the absence of cellular or Wi-Fi signals. Following an emergency call, your device will automatically send a message to your designated emergency contacts providing them with your location, and will continue to update them should you move.
transcript:
Disclaimer: This transcript is generated by AIKO, an automated transcription service. It is not edited or formatted, and it may not accurately capture the speakers’ names, voices, or content.
Hello and welcome.
My name is Thomas Domville, also known as AnonyMouse.
And this feature I'm going to be covering is something that I hope you will never have to use ever.
However, it is also one of those features that you should know about, know how to use it, and get prepared for it if you ever have to do that.
This feature is called the Emergency SOS.
Now, for those that have been using for iOS for some time, you might be surprised how things have changed within that settings for Emergency SOS.
So this is probably a good time for you to go back and look into it and make sure all the settings are set the way you want it when you need it.
So let's dive into Emergency SOS, show you what the feature looks like, see what kind of setups you can, and settings that you can tweak, and then on top of that, knowing how to use it.
There's quite a few things in here, so let's go ahead and dive into the Settings app here.
Settings, double tap to open.
So we're gonna do just that, one finger, double tap to open up Settings.
Settings.
And then from here, just swipe to the right until you get to Emergency SOS.
Emergency SOS, button.
And we have arrived here.
So let's go ahead and open this up with one finger, double tap.
Settings, back, Settings, back button.
And now the focus is going to be at the top left-hand corner where you have your back button that takes you back to the settings.
Let me go right here a few times, and we'll get to our first little item that you are able to initiate Emergency SOS manually.
So there are two options to do this manually, and then I'll show you a couple of other options that can be done by automatic and when those would occur.
So as I swipe to the right.
Emergency SOS, heading.
Animated image depicting the buttons on the iPhone required to call emergency services.
Image, press and hold the side button and either volume button to make an emergency call.
In certain regions, you may need to specify an emergency service to dial.
Auto call requires a SIM card.
Call with hold and release.
Switch button on, double tap to toggle setting.
If you continuously hold the side button and either volume button, a countdown begins and an alarm sounds.
After the countdown, if you release the buttons, iPhone will call emergency services.
So here's our first option, and this should be set on.
If it's not, this is something you may want to consider if you want to do use this method.
Now, as I mentioned, there are two methods to do this manually, but this is the first option.
And my sister didn't know about this option.
I said, yep, this is one of the newer feature that's coming out in recent years for the emergency SOS.
So, and thus for you just hold either the up or down volume button located on the left side of your device.
Hold that down while you're holding down the side button which is located at the right side of your device.
Hold that down for a number of seconds until you hear a countdown.
You will hear the countdown and then from that countdown, it will set off an alarm.
Just to let you know that it has been initiated and that is going to call your emergency service in your area.
And during this call, what's gonna happen is that's gonna lock into that position.
In other words, you will not be able to actually get out of that screen.
You will not be able to get out of that screen until you tell it to do so.
So there's some of a process that you have to do to get out of that mode.
However, during this mode, when it's locked up like that, what's gonna do is gonna send your location and certain circumstances, your medical ID will go out to them and so they get better assessment and idea about your situation.
And then obviously you can call and talk with the emergency provider.
If you feel like you have done this by accident, have no fear.
I've done it before by accident and I just apologize and say that was by accident.
And they're more, more times than not are very friendly to do so and to say that's all right.
But never, never just simply hang up.
More times than not, they're gonna be calling you back or they will send somebody out to your house or the location where you're at, just to make sure that you're doing all right.
But nonetheless, this is one of those features that you can initiate emergency SOS by using this process.
Now the next option is more of you probably are aware of this one for those that have been on iOS for some time.
So if I go to the right here.
Call with five button presses, switch button off.
If you rapidly press the side button five times, a countdown begins and an alarm sounds.
When the countdown ends, iPhone will call emergency services.
That's the one that's been around for a long time.
Now I have this turned off for myself.
Now this is obviously gonna be entirely up to you.
I have accidentally initiated this because the side buttons, as you know, can do a variety of things.
For example, if I click on it once, it locks and unlocks the device right.
If you hold it down, you initiate Siri.
If I double tap the side button, the Apple Pay comes up.
And if I triple click it, it turns voiceover on and off.
Sometimes I get a little too ambitious and just kind of get ahead of myself.
I'm clicking before I even know when I'm clicking and counting how many clicks I'm doing, either because I had a frustration because I had to start over voiceover or whatever not.
But sadly, I haven't initiated that.
And so it's something for you to consider if that's something you want to leave on.
The other option too to consider is I have heard that this going off by accident, especially for women that leave their phone in purses.
I've had heard that just leaving in the purse sometimes it kind of bumps against something else and it just keeps clicking that side button without your knowledge and then sending the emergency SOS out.
So it can happen, but I'm not here to say don't do it.
It's just gonna be really gonna be up to you and your personal preference.
Another option too now, along with those two options how to initiate the emergency SOS that I've covered here, there is one more element that you may want to consider and that just depends on you.
Call quietly.
Switch button off.
Double tap to toggle setting.
Warning alarms, flashes and voiceover audio will be silenced when using hold and release or five button presses to place an emergency call.
So initially what this is saying is that everything will be quiet.
You will not hear the countdown.
You will not hear the alarm.
This could be useful in unusual circumstances where you are not wanting to let people around you or knowing that you have initiated emergency SOS.
So there could be certain circumstance that could happen, but that is again up to you if you want to turn that on or off.
Now keep in mind with that off, you will not know that you initiated until you hear somebody talking on the phone and possibly could give it away or to let you know you have accidentally initiated the emergency SOS.
Now those are the two options and the tweak I was mentioning.
Now what are some of the things that happen automatically?
Good question.
So let's go ahead and show you that area.
Crash detection, heading, call after severe crash, switch button on, double tap to toggle setting.
If you're in a car crash, iPhone can automatically call emergency services. iPhone will start a countdown and sound an alarm before the call. iPhone cannot detect all crashes.
So here's the circumstance that you have a crash detection.
This is one of the newer features you have come across in the past few years as well.
If it thinks or detects that you have been in a crash, this could be very ideal, especially if you're incapacitated or you're not able to reach your phone or whatever reason that might be unfortunate situation, this won't dial it automatically.
So essentially what this will do is it'll do exactly the same thing.
It'll initiate SOS automatically for you and call the emergency service and then we'll give them your location.
Even though you're not able to talk to them, maybe you can still hear them, you can kinda yell at the phone or if you're not, they will probably send some help out your way to make sure everything is all right.
Couple of other things I wanna show you as you go to the right here.
Emergency contacts, heading.
It's your emergency contact.
Now this is a great option to think about and to shut up now before you ever have to use emergency SOS.
This is where you can add people, whether that's your loved ones, family, coworkers, friends, whatever that might be, that you want to alert them that you have initiated emergency SOS.
So essentially how this works is once you have initiated emergency SOS and you completed the call, what's it gonna do?
It's gonna send a message to your emergency contact that something has occurred and you have initiated emergency SOS.
Great ideal situation for things like my mother if she's fallen or she got hurt or whatever not.
This is a great way to let me know something's going on and I can go check out, check on her and make sure everything is doing all right.
Same for my wife and et cetera.
So this is where you do that.
Now I have two people on my list here.
My first one is my wife.
Angela Knight-Domville.
And then of course my mother.
Carol Riedelbach-Domville.
And then from here, if you swipe one more to the right.
Edit emergency contacts and health.
Button, you can add and edit emergency contacts for emergency SOS in your medical ID in the health app.
So if you haven't done so, go ahead and hit that edit button and add the people you want to add to your emergency contact.
This is a great little options that I highly recommend everybody doing now and be prepared.
Now the next one up is relatively new as well.
About emergency SOS and privacy.
Link, emergency SOS via satellite.
Heading.
It's emergency SOS by satellite.
Well, I will let you know this only will work if you are in a area with no cell reception or wireless.
So this is a great opportunity if you're in a rural area, if you're in an area with no towers that is nearby, if you're hiking and whatever that might be and you get yourself and I'll pick up where you need some help.
Well, this is where the emergency SOS will come and shine at its best through satellite.
So you're actually connecting to the satellites up above the sky, up above you and making established connection with that satellite.
And that will allow you to connect to your emergency service.
So let me show you a couple of things here. iPhone can help start a satellite connection to contact emergency services when a call won't go through.
Try demo, button.
Highly recommend, if you had never used this, try the demo and what the demo essentially will do.
It'll step you through the process of what it would be like if you have to use it.
The hardest part is here, of course, you have to have a clear direct line of the satellite in this sky above you.
So this more than likely is not gonna work indoors.
So more than times not, if you're gonna be using this, you probably are outdoors doing hiking and whatever not.
And you have to get a clear signal to the satellite.
It's not exactly what you may think it is, as in you're not gonna be like talking to somebody by voice and things like that.
It's gonna have your predefined prompts that allows you to connect and talk with the people on the other side.
It's more like gonna be, I'm in, I have an issue here or I have a problem and there's gonna be predefined text that you'll use to communicate with the people on the Mercy side of things.
So that is the Mercy iOS by satellite.
In an emergency, iPhone will try to use a satellite to send your medical ID, location and emergency details.
And so that is it for the iOS.
Now, as a bonus here, Apple Watch users like myself, there are some things in here that you might want to consider in setup as well.
Let me show you what that looks like.
So I'm gonna head over to my Watch app here.
Watch, double tap to open.
We can open up the Watch app here, one finger double tap.
Watch, all watches, button.
Just like what we did in settings, we're gonna swipe to the right until you get to emergency SOS.
Emergency SOS, button.
Go ahead and do one finger double tap to open this up.
Now, this is gonna be similar to what we saw on the phone, with exception of how you activate the emergency SOS.
So on the Watch, it's a little different.
So let me swipe to the right and show you how that option works to initiate it manually.
Press and keep holding the side button to make an emergency call.
Hold side button to dial.
Switch button on, double tap to toggle setting.
Press and hold the side button to call emergency services.
In certain regions, you may need to choose which number to dial.
All right, so that is exactly how it works on Apple Watch.
So you might wanna make sure that it's on.
Now, for those watch wearers, you'll realize the or no on the right side.
Towards the top is your crown.
That's the circle device that goes around.
Below that is a button.
That's your side button.
So if you hold that down for a number of seconds, that will initiate the emergency SOS.
So that's how you do that.
And for you to know, in a case of emergency, you're away from your phone, but you have your Apple Watch next to you.
You just hold down and press down the side button for a number of seconds.
Now, this also has some automatic detection as well.
Very much like the crash detection, but we have something called the fall detection.
Fall detection, heading, fall detection.
Switch button on, double tap to toggle setting.
Selected, always on.
There are several options for the fall detection, and there is a reason for this.
So you have the option of always.
Only on during workouts.
And let me have this explained that situation for you.
Apple Watch can initiate emergency SOS if you take a hard fall and don't seem to move.
Before the call, Apple Watch will alert you it has detected a fall.
Tap your wrist, sound an alarm, and then call emergency services.
Apple Watch cannot detect all falls.
The more physically active you are, the more likely you are to trigger fall detection due to high impact activity that can appear to be a fall.
Enabling fall detection only during workouts may reduce false detections.
And so hopefully that will give you an explanation which one you should pick.
I keep mine on always, and yep, unfortunately I have had a fall before, and thankfully this worked really well.
I was in a situation where I missed a step, yep.
I think you all have been there.
If you're not, thankfully you have been very blessed and you haven't had that situation.
But yep, I have fallen down the stairs because I missed a step and by God, that thing went off.
And fortunately I was fine.
I was able to catch it in time before it actually dialed.
But in case that I wasn't, I was very glad that this was there for me to choose and to have on in that situation.
Now, just like on the iOS settings for emergency SOS, we also have.
Emergency Contacts, heading.
Your emergency contacts where you can select the people and add it and add to that list.
And that's pretty much sums up the emergency SOS.
Now, a side note, I'd like to kind of let you know about the crash detection and fall detection.
As I mentioned, it's not foolproof.
So I've had reports in people with a fall, for example, they may actually just kind of went real fast with their watch and just move their arms real quickly downward.
Or they were in a place where they were doing a lot of activities and whatnot and actually set it off.
But thankfully you'll know that you have initiated, you will hear the countdown and the alert and hopefully you'll be able to catch that in time.
I've also noticed that reports and I never had it really happen to me yet that the crash detection can also go off at times, especially if you're in a rough situation.
So if you're playing tackle football with your friends or whatever, not, or if you're on a roller coaster and not, that might set it off.
So you might want to think about turning that off if you are expecting and thinking about writing or doing activities that might cause it to go off.
The nice thing about the fall detection is that, as it mentioned there, and it's absolutely true, is that once it detects that you fall and you haven't moved for a period of time, then it'll initiate it.
So it's something that if it felt like maybe it sensed you fall, but you didn't, but you're still moving around, it won't go off.
So there's just a couple of things to think about there.
All right, well, that's gonna do for me.
I hope that you will never ever, ever have to worry about using this ever, but it's great to have a knowledge and understanding, have everything set up now, and especially your emergency contact if that were ever to happen.
All right, my name is Thomas Domville, Also known as AnonyMouse, till next time, bye-bye.