In an emergency, your iPhone can be a literal lifesaver. By setting up your Medical ID and Emergency Contacts, you enable first responders or Good Samaritans to access critical health information and quickly contact your loved ones—even when your iPhone is locked.
In this detailed guide, you’ll learn how to set up and edit your Medical ID, add emergency contacts, understand what info is shared, and how others can access it from your iPhone’s Lock Screen.
🚨 What Is Medical ID on iPhone?
Medical ID is a built-in feature in the iPhone’s Health app that provides important personal health information such as:
- Name
- Date of birth
- Medical conditions
- Allergies
- Medications
- Blood type
- Organ donor status
- Emergency contacts
This data is accessible from the Lock Screen in emergencies via the Emergency option on the passcode screen.
🛠️ How to Set Up Medical ID on iPhone
✅ Steps:
- Open the Health app.
- Tap your profile picture or initials in the top-right corner.
- Select Medical ID.
- Tap Edit in the top-right corner.
- Enter or update the following information:
- Name
- Date of birth
- Medical conditions
- Medical notes
- Allergies and reactions
- Medications
- Blood type
- Organ donor status
- Weight and height
- Scroll down to Emergency Contacts and tap Add Emergency Contact.
- Select a contact from your list and choose their relationship to you.
🔁 You can add multiple emergency contacts.
- Toggle Show When Locked to ON so first responders can access the information without unlocking your phone.
- Tap Done to save your Medical ID.
👥 How to Add or Edit Emergency Contacts Only
Even if you don’t want to add health info, you can still assign emergency contacts who will be notified if you use the Emergency SOS feature.
✅ Steps:
- Open the Contacts app.
- Tap the person you want to add.
- Tap Add to Emergency Contacts (or go through the Health app).
- Choose their relationship to you.
- Tap Done.
To remove or change an emergency contact:
- Go to Health app > Profile > Medical ID > Edit > Emergency Contacts, then tap Delete or update the contact.
🔒 How to Access Medical ID from a Locked iPhone
If someone needs to view your Medical ID in an emergency:
- On the Lock Screen, tap Emergency.
- Tap Medical ID in the bottom left corner.
The person will be able to view all the health info and emergency contacts you provided—even if the phone is locked with a passcode or Face ID.
🧠 This is especially helpful for paramedics, doctors, or bystanders in accidents or emergencies.
📢 Emergency SOS and Notification to Contacts
When you trigger Emergency SOS on your iPhone, your emergency contacts are automatically notified with:
- A text message
- Your current location
- Updates if your location changes
To activate Emergency SOS:
- Press and hold the Side button + Volume button until the Emergency SOS slider appears.
- Or, on older models, rapidly press the Side or Sleep/Wake button 5 times.
- Drag the Emergency SOS slider to call emergency services.
🚨 Your iPhone will then notify your emergency contacts that you’ve made an SOS call.
📲 How to Update or Remove Medical ID Info
To edit your Medical ID at any time:
- Open the Health app.
- Tap your profile icon > Medical ID > Edit.
- Make your changes or tap Delete Medical ID at the bottom.
💡 Tips for Using Medical ID Effectively
- Keep your information updated, especially if medications or conditions change.
- Add multiple emergency contacts, especially if you travel often or live alone.
- Use Show When Locked so information is available even if you’re unconscious.
- Ensure your emergency contacts know they’ve been added and what to expect.
🧭 iCloud and Privacy
- Medical ID data is stored locally on your iPhone.
- It is not shared with Apple unless you choose to back it up in iCloud Health.
- Emergency contacts are not notified unless you trigger Emergency SOS manually.
📋 Summary Table
| Task | Steps |
| Set up Medical ID | Health app > Profile > Medical ID > Edit |
| Add emergency contact | Medical ID > Add Emergency Contact |
| Enable access on Lock Screen | Toggle “Show When Locked” ON |
| Access Medical ID from Lock Screen | Tap Emergency > Medical ID |
| Trigger Emergency SOS | Hold Side + Volume button > Slide SOS |
| Notify contacts after SOS | Emergency contacts receive location alerts |
| Edit or remove contacts | Health > Medical ID > Edit |
✅ Final Thoughts
Setting up your Medical ID and Emergency Contacts on your iPhone can provide critical, life-saving information when you can’t speak for yourself. With just a few minutes of setup, your iPhone becomes a tool that first responders can use to access your medical conditions, medications, and emergency contacts—even from the Lock Screen.
By staying prepared and keeping your information current, you can give yourself and your loved ones extra peace of mind in any emergency.
Meta Description:
Learn how to set up Medical ID and emergency contacts on your iPhone. Step-by-step guide to add health info, enable Lock Screen access, and notify contacts via Emergency SOS.
