Turning on these smartphone safety features could literally save your life

Your phone can help in times of crisis. Image: Apple While you might never have thought about it, your phone can save your life. Both Android and iOS offer a selection of essential safety features that you need to make yourself aware of, just in case you’re ever in the unfortunate situation of needing one of them. Oh, and tell your friends and family too. Here’s what’s available on your phone and where to find it. We’re going to cover the latest Pixel handsets running Android 17 and the latest iPhones running iOS 27 here. If you’re using a different or older handset, or older software, you might see some variations in the features offered to you and where they’re located. Android safety features Android lets you opt to share important medical information on your phone’s lock screen, including blood type, allergies, and medications. The idea is that if you’re incapacitated, someone else can find those details without unlocking your phone, and you can add emergency contacts to the list of information too. From Settings, go to Safety and emergency, then tap Medical information and Emergency contacts to add your details. On the same Safety and emergency screen, you’ll also find Car Crash Detection. This works exactly as you might guess from the name. If your phone’s sensors detect that you may have been in a driving accident, you’ll see a loud, flashing alert on screen asking if you’re okay. If you don’t clear the alert promptly, your phone can get in touch with emergency services and your emergency contacts on your behalf, automatically. Your phone can detect if you’ve been in a collision. David Nield David Nield Further down the screen there are three more features worth turning on. Crisis alerts sends a notification whenever there are “natural disasters or public emergencies affecting your area,” while Wireless emergency alerts is similar but is run by the government and its agencies, not Google. There’s also Earthquake alerts, which can warn you in the seconds before shaking reaches you (Google uses its network of Android phones as a giant seismometer). In the same Safety and emergency menu, there’s a Pixel Satellite SOS option, which you should make sure to configure. On the Pixel 9 phones and later (excluding the Pixel 9a), if you don’t have Wi-Fi or cell coverage when you’re trying to call 911, you’ll see an option to connect via satellite instead. You can then follow the instructions to share key details with emergency services and your emergency contacts. A similar feature is available on other Android phones, including Samsung’s Galaxy S25 and Galaxy S26 handsets, though support there depends on your carrier. Use Safety Check for extra peace of mind. David Nield David Nield Open the Personal Safety app that comes preinstalled on newer handsets and you’ll see a Safety Check feature. This lets you set an activity (like walking alone or taking public transportation) and a time period, and if you don’t confirm you’re okay after the time period expires, your phone will automatically get in touch with contacts you’ve specified, suggesting they try checking in on you. Lastly, it’s important to know about the alternative option for calling 911 if you’re not able to do it the normal way. Press the power button five or more times in quick succession, then tap the confirmation message on screen or wait for the timer to finish, and emergency services will be contacted. You can opt to share some information automatically, like your location or even a live video feed. To configure the feature, open Settings and choose Safety and emergency > Emergency SOS. iOS safety features iPhone owners have their own suite of safety features that are worth knowing about, and there are plenty of similarities with what’s on Android too. Government emergency alerts can come through to iOS as well as Android, for example, alerting you to floods, earthquakes, hurricanes, and other threats. To make sure they’re enabled, open Settings and choose Notifications, then scroll to the bottom to find Government Alerts. As on Android, it’s possible to put important medical information and emergency contact details on your phone’s lock screen, so they can be accessed by other people if needed after an accident. Open up the Health app, then tap your profile picture (top right) and Medical ID to choose what you want to share and to enter the relevant details. There’s more than one way to call 911. David Nield David Nield If you’re partly incapacitated or under duress, you may not be able to pick up your iPhone and call 911 in the normal way, but your iPhone gives you an alternative. Press and hold the side button and either volume button until the Emergency SOS slider appears, then keep holding. A countdown starts and an alert sounds, and when you let go at the end of it, a call is placed to emergency services with key information about your location shared too. The same process can also alert your emergency contacts. Head to Emergency SOS from Settings to configure the feature. Apple has its own car crash detection feature too, which you’ll find under the same Emergency SOS screen in Settings. It’s the Call After Severe Crash toggle switch, and it works on the iPhone 14 and later. If your iPhone gets jolted in a way that makes it think you’ve been in a crash, an alert shows up on screen, and if you don’t dismiss the alert quickly enough, a call is placed to 911 and your emergency contacts are notified. If you’re out of range of Wi-Fi and cellular networks, an iPhone 14 or later is still able to send a message to emergency services and your designated emergency contacts if it can get a satellite lock. You’ll see the option pop up automatically if you’re trying to call 911 with no signal. There’s nothing to configure here, so it will just show up when you need it. You can choose what information to share during a Check In. David Nield David Nield iOS also has a feature called Check In, which works through Messages and lets people know you’re safe. From a Messages chat, tap the + (plus) button on the text input box, then pick Check In (you may need to tap More first). You’re then able to set the parameters for the feature, including the check-in period. To set what’s shared, go to Settings, tap Apps, then Messages, then Check In Data. Note that both you and your contact need to be running iOS 17 or later for this to work. 2026 Popular Science Home of the Future Awards 39 products that will improve your everyday life.