Where to find and add emergency contacts on your iPhone
Emergency contact information on your iPhone lives in the Health app, not in your regular Contacts. When you add someone as an emergency contact, their number appears on your lock screen during an emergency call, and first responders can access it without unlocking your phone. You can add up to five emergency contacts, and each one can have multiple phone numbers.
The process takes about two minutes and works the same way on any iPhone running iOS 13 or later. You do not need to set up Medical ID information to add emergency contacts — they are separate features, though they live in the same app.
Key Takeaways
- Emergency contacts are stored in the Health app, not in your phone's Contacts, and appear on your lock screen during emergency calls.
- You can add up to five emergency contacts, each with multiple phone numbers, and edit or remove them at any time.
- First responders can view your emergency contacts without unlocking your phone, but they cannot see other personal information unless you set up Medical ID.
- Emergency contacts sync across all your Apple devices if you use the same Apple ID and have iCloud enabled.
Step-by-step: adding your first emergency contact
Open the Health app on your home screen — it has a white icon with a red heart. Tap the profile icon in the top right corner, then tap "Medical ID." If you see a message saying "No Medical ID," tap "Create Medical ID" to continue. You do not need to fill in any medical information; you can skip directly to emergency contacts.
Scroll down to the "Emergency Contacts" section and tap "Add Emergency Contact." A list of your existing contacts appears. Select the person you want to add. You will then see their phone number listed; if they have multiple numbers in your contacts, you can choose which one to use. Tap "Add" to confirm. Repeat this process for each additional contact you want to add.
Once you have added at least one emergency contact, your lock screen will show a small "Emergency SOS" button. If you hold down the side button and volume button together for a few seconds, your phone will call emergency services and display your emergency contacts on the screen.
Editing or removing emergency contacts
To change an emergency contact's phone number or remove them entirely, open the Health app and go to your Medical ID. Scroll to "Emergency Contacts" and tap "Edit" in the top right corner. You can now tap the minus sign next to any contact to remove them, or tap a contact's name to change which phone number is displayed.
If you delete a contact from your phone's regular Contacts app, they will automatically disappear from your emergency contacts list as well. If you want to keep them as an emergency contact but remove them from your regular contacts, you will need to manually delete them from Medical ID first.
What happens when you call emergency services
When you press the emergency SOS button on your iPhone (by holding the side button and volume button), your phone automatically calls 911 in the United States, or the local emergency number in other countries. At the same time, your lock screen displays your emergency contacts with their phone numbers visible — first responders can see these numbers without needing your passcode.
Your phone also sends a message to your emergency contacts letting them know you called emergency services, along with your location if location services are enabled. You can turn off this automatic message in Settings > Emergency SOS, but the phone numbers themselves will still be visible to first responders.
Emergency contacts across multiple Apple devices
If you own multiple Apple devices — an iPad, Apple Watch, or Mac — your emergency contacts sync automatically across all of them through iCloud. This means you only need to add them once in the Health app on your iPhone, and they will appear on your other devices within a few minutes.
On an Apple Watch, emergency contacts appear when you press and hold the side button. On an iPad or Mac, they are stored in the Health app the same way as on your iPhone. If you do not want your emergency contacts to sync, you can turn off iCloud sync for the Health app in Settings > [Your Name] > iCloud, though this will also stop other health data from syncing.
Difference between emergency contacts and Medical ID
Emergency contacts and Medical ID are two separate features in the Health app. Emergency contacts are simply phone numbers that appear on your lock screen. Medical ID is additional information like your blood type, allergies, medications, or organ donor status that first responders might need to know.
You can have emergency contacts without setting up Medical ID, and vice versa. Many people add emergency contacts but leave Medical ID blank. If you do set up Medical ID, first responders can access it by tapping "Medical ID" on your lock screen, but they still cannot see your regular contacts, messages, or any other personal data.
Troubleshooting: emergency contacts not showing up
If your emergency contacts do not appear on your lock screen, first check that you have actually added them in the Health app. Open Health, tap your profile icon, and go to Medical ID — if the emergency contacts section is empty, you have not added any yet. If you have added contacts but they are not showing, try restarting your iPhone by turning it off and back on.
If contacts still do not appear after a restart, check that you have not disabled the Health app in Settings > Privacy. You can also try removing and re-adding the contact. On an Apple Watch, emergency contacts may take a few minutes to sync from your iPhone, so wait a few minutes before troubleshooting further.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I add someone who is not in my contacts?
No — you can only add emergency contacts from people already saved in your phone's Contacts app. If you want to add someone, create a contact for them first with at least a name and phone number, then add them as an emergency contact through the Health app.
What if I do not have an Apple ID or iCloud?
You can still add emergency contacts to your iPhone without an Apple ID. They will only appear on that specific iPhone and will not sync to other devices. If you set up an Apple ID later, your emergency contacts will sync to your other devices automatically.
Do emergency contacts work if my phone is locked?
Yes — emergency contacts appear on your lock screen when you call emergency services, and first responders can see them without entering your passcode. However, they cannot access any other information on your phone without unlocking it.
Can I add a contact with no phone number?
No — emergency contacts must have at least one phone number associated with them. If someone in your contacts has only an email address or mailing address, you will not be able to add them as an emergency contact.
What happens if I change someone's phone number in my contacts?
If you update a phone number for someone already listed as an emergency contact, the new number will automatically appear in your Medical ID. You do not need to remove and re-add them.