How to use your iPhone or Android to alert a loved one you need help in emergency situation

OUR phones are great for so many day-to-day tasks, but they can also come in handy in the event of an emergency.

Both iPhones and Androids can be programmed to alert a loved one in an emergency situation.

Phones have features to alert loved ones in an emergency

Apple Watches have made headlines for saving peoples’ lives.

Now, iPhones and Androids can be set up to do the same.

Apple has an emergency SOS feature on most iPhones.

When you use this feature, your local emergency number will be dialed and your emergency contacts will be alerted via text message.

Your location, and any changes to it, will also be shared with your emergency contacts.

To set up your emergency contacts on your iPhone, open the Health app and then go to profile picture, then Medical ID. Select Edit, and then scroll to Emergency Contacts.

From there, hit add and then choose a contact. You can also add your relationship to that person.

Be sure to hit the Done button to save any changes you make.

You can access the emergency SOS feature on iPhone iOs 7 and earlier by quickly tapping on the top or side button five times in a row.

On iPhone 8 and later, you can hold the side button and one of the volume buttons simultaneously to access the feature.

Androids differ slightly, though the idea of an emergency SOS feature remains the same.

However, the feature does need to be manually set up. To do so, you can go to the Settings on your phone, select Safety & emergency, and then choose Emergency SOS.

From there, you can customize what your Android does when the emergency SOS feature is enabled.

You can opt to have an alarm go off, or keep your phone silent. You can also choose to have your phone dial an emergency number, alert emergency contacts, share location, and more.

On an Android, you can access the emergency SOS feature by pressing the power button five times in a row very quickly.

These instructions can vary if you have a Samsung or Google phone, so be sure to investigate the emergency settings on your specific device.