No one likes to think about the possibility of getting into trouble or an emergency, but it’s always better to be prepared. Just like when you learned about your escape plan at your workplace or a safety drill at school, it’s just as important to be familiar with your iPhone’s safety and emergency features.
Your favorite companion has various functions to help you contact the right authorities, send an SOS to your loved ones, display medical information and more. So here’s an overview of some iOS security and emergency features you should know.
1. Medical ID
If you are involved in an accident and are unresponsive, paramedics or other medical personnel can use the Medical ID feature on your iPhone to access your health information immediately. This lets them know your allergies, underlying medical conditions, blood type, and other important details that can help them provide medical services quickly and without exacerbating your condition.
That said, you’ll want to make sure you’ve set up Medical ID on your iPhone to come in handy in case of an emergency. How to do it: Go to Settings > Health > Medical IDand press on Edit. Add any relevant health information, such as medical conditions and allergies.
You can also add Emergency contactsso they can receive your location when you use Emergency SOS traits. Finally, activate Show when locked under Emergency access at the bottom of the page to allow access to your Medical ID even when the screen is locked.
2. Emergency SOS
Unlike in the example we mentioned above, let’s say you’re conscious during a crisis and can use your iPhone to call for help. However, every second counts, so you may not have time to unlock your phone and make an emergency call.
Fortunately, the iPhone has a handy feature that makes it quicker and easier to call for help. To use the Emergency SOS feature on iPhone, press and hold Page (Power) and Volume the buttons to Emergency SOS the slider will appear and slide it to the right to call. This will automatically call the emergency services in your region and notify any Emergency contacts you have set up.
Alternatively, you can quickly press Page button five times to automatically start a countdown and call emergency services when it is over. You can enable this feature by going to Settings > Emergency SOS > Call with 5 taps.
So, what happens when you’re out of cellular or Wi-Fi coverage? If you own an iPhone 14 or any iPhone 14 pro model, it will try to connect you to the local emergency services via satellite. This process takes less time under favorable weather conditions and with a direct view of the sky.
3. Share your ETA
Let’s say you’re out on a long drive, going to an unfamiliar place, or visiting a friend. You can easily keep family members or friends updated by sharing your estimated time of arrival (ETA). This is a handy security feature to ensure they know how your journey is progressing and when you arrive.
To share your ETA, open Map app and enter a destination as you normally do. Choose the mode of transport, for example driving. Then press on Go and choose Share ETA from the bottom of the screen in the route map. This will bring up some suggested contacts. You can also press Contacts the ability to select someone else from your contact list.
If your selected contact is an iPhone user, they will receive a Maps notification with your ETA. They can open the notification to check your current location and keep track of your journey. However, if your selected contact is an Android user, they will receive an SMS with the ETA.
4. Find my
We bet you don’t go anywhere without your iPhone with you, so the thought of it getting lost or stolen is pretty scary. But if your iPhone goes missing, you’ll want to make sure you’ve done everything you can to find it. Fortunately, your iPhone has an app that can help you locate and protect your Apple devices.
How to locate your lost or stolen iPhone using the Find My app: First, if you own other Apple devices, you can use them to locate your missing iPhone in Find my app. Alternatively, you can use the iCloud website from any device with an Internet connection.
You will then log in to your apple id account and you will see a map with your device’s location. You can choose to play a sound on the device so you can easily find it if it’s nearby.
5. Delete data after several attempts
Since you go everywhere with your iPhone, it probably contains valuable personal data. So if some bad actors get their hands on your iPhone and you can’t restore it, you want to make sure they can’t access your data. Although you may have set a password for security, it is still possible for someone to crack it.
Fortunately, Apple has a security feature that, when enabled, can delete your data after ten failed attempts. You can enable this feature by going to Settings > Face ID & Passcode > Clear data (found at the bottom of the page).
Now, what if your iPhone falls into the little hands of the little ones and they just try to play with it? Apple has learned about it; this is why they included a timer after a few failed attempts. We bet your kids won’t be patient enough to wait that long and will quickly move on to the next goal, so your data stays safe and sound!
6. Lock mode
In an extreme situation, when you feel you might be the target of a sophisticated cyber attack, your iPhone has one Lock mode feature that can reduce your vulnerability. However, it’s worth noting that most users will never need to use this feature, as it’s meant to protect phones from sophisticated, high-level threats.
So, what does Lockdown Mode do, you ask? It prevents anyone from accessing your personal data by restricting several features, websites and apps. For example, activate Lock mode will block some types of message attachments such as links and link previews. Additionally, you won’t be able to receive FaceTime calls from people you haven’t called before.
To activate Lock modego to Settings > Privacy & Security > Lock Mode. While it’s unlikely you’ll need to use this feature, it’s worth knowing it’s there.
7. Security check
For security reasons, if you want to revoke location access or other information from someone, an app, or a device you no longer trust, you can use Security check function to completely or partially disconnect them from your iPhone. Apple added this feature to iOS 16 for people whose personal safety may be at stake, such as victims of domestic violence or the like.
To activate Security checkgo to Settings > Privacy & Security > Security Check. From here you can choose Emergency reset to immediately disconnect all access to your data from any device or app. Alternatively, you can choose Manage sharing and access to customize which people and apps have access to your data.
Prepare for any emergency with these iOS security features
It is always a good idea to take extra precautions regarding your safety and security. While you hope you never find yourself in a situation where you need these safety features, it’s better to be safe than sorry.
That said, it’s important to be familiar with your iPhone’s security features, as they can save you in an emergency. And if you use an Apple Watch with your iPhone, know that it has some life-saving features, too.
