To call 911 on an iPhone, rapidly press the side button five times or press and hold the side button and either volume button. The exact number of clicks depends on your settings, but the five-press method is standard in the U.S.
Two main ways to call 911
Apple offers two physical methods to trigger Emergency SOS on modern iPhones. These are designed to be fast in a crisis but hard to activate by accident.
Five rapid presses of the side button
Press the side (power) button five times in quick succession. This brings up the Emergency SOS slider and starts a countdown. If you don’t cancel, the call connects automatically. This method works even if the phone is in your pocket or the screen is off.
Hold the side and volume button
Press and hold both the side button and either volume button at the same time. Keep holding them, and the Emergency SOS slider appears. If you continue holding, the phone calls 911 after a countdown. This method is useful if you need both hands or can’t press quickly.
What happens after you trigger SOS
Once activated, the iPhone plays a loud alert sound and shows a countdown, usually three to five seconds. This gives you time to cancel the call if it was accidental. The screen displays a slider to cancel, and the phone vibrates strongly.
During the countdown, Face ID and Touch ID are disabled. The phone will require your passcode to unlock, which helps protect your data if someone is forcing you to hand it over.
Customizing emergency settings
You can change how Emergency SOS works in the Settings app. Go to Settings > Emergency SOS to adjust the options.
- Call with 5 Button Presses: Turns on the five-click method.
- Call with Hold and Release: Enables the side-and-volume hold method.
- Call Quietly: If on, the alert sound and flashing lights are turned off. This is helpful if you’re in danger and need to call 911 silently.
Sharing medical and location data
When Emergency SOS connects, your iPhone can automatically send important information to responders. This includes your GPS location and medical details if you’ve set them up.
To add medical info, open the Health app and set up your Medical ID. Include allergies, conditions, medications, and emergency contacts. First responders can access this from your lock screen, even if the phone is locked.
After the call ends, your iPhone can notify your emergency contacts with your location and a message that SOS was used. Make sure these contacts are set in the Health app for this to work.