Tech Tips

How to Configure Medical ID and Emergency Contacts on iPhone and Android

3 min read May 20, 2026

A simple guide to setting up Medical ID, medical information, emergency contacts, and lock-screen emergency access on iPhone, Pixel, and Samsung Galaxy phones.

Setting up emergency medical information on your phone can help first responders and family members during a crisis. Both iPhone and Android phones allow you to store important details such as allergies, medications, medical conditions, blood type, and emergency contacts that can be reached from the lock screen.

Why This Setup Matters

Emergency contacts and medical information support safety features such as Apple Watch Fall Detection, Pixel Watch Fall Detection, Samsung Galaxy Watch hard fall detection, Emergency SOS, Safety Check, and emergency location sharing.

Taking a few minutes to configure these settings can make it easier for emergency responders to see critical health information and for family members or caregivers to be notified when something goes wrong.

For iPhone: Set Up Medical ID

Apple's Medical ID is built into the Health app. It can store medical conditions, allergies, medications, blood type, organ donor status, emergency contacts, and other notes.

  1. Open the Health app on your iPhone.
  2. Tap your profile picture or initials.
  3. Tap Medical ID.
  4. Tap Edit.
  5. Enter important medical details such as conditions, allergies, medications, blood type, and notes.
  6. Under Emergency Contacts, tap Add Emergency Contact.
  7. Choose a contact and select their relationship.
  8. Turn on Show When Locked if you want first responders to access Medical ID from the lock screen.
  9. Tap Done.

Apple Watch uses the emergency contacts listed in Medical ID when Fall Detection or Emergency SOS needs to notify family or caregivers.

How First Responders Can View Medical ID on iPhone

  1. From the iPhone lock screen, swipe up or press the Home button, depending on the iPhone model.
  2. Tap Emergency.
  3. Tap Medical ID.

This allows emergency personnel to view the information you chose to make available, even without unlocking the phone.

For Google Pixel and Many Android Phones

Many Android phones include emergency information under Safety & emergency settings. On Pixel phones, these features are also tied into Google's Personal Safety app.

  1. Open Settings.
  2. Tap Safety & emergency.
  3. Tap Medical information.
  4. Add details such as allergies, medications, blood type, and medical conditions.
  5. Go back and tap Emergency contacts.
  6. Add the family members, caregivers, or trusted contacts you want listed.
  7. Review Emergency SOS, Emergency Sharing, Safety Check, and location-sharing options if available.

On Pixel phones, emergency contacts can also be used by Personal Safety features such as Emergency SOS, Safety Check, Emergency Sharing, and Pixel Watch safety features.

For Samsung Galaxy Phones

Samsung Galaxy phones include emergency medical information and emergency contacts in the Safety and emergency settings.

  1. Open Settings.
  2. Tap Safety and emergency.
  3. Tap Medical info and enter important health details.
  4. Tap Emergency contacts.
  5. Add the people you want contacted in an emergency.
  6. Review Emergency SOS and Emergency sharing settings.
  7. If using a Galaxy Watch, also review hard fall detection settings in the Galaxy Wearable app.

Samsung emergency contacts can be used for Emergency SOS messages, emergency sharing, and Galaxy Watch hard fall detection.

How Emergency Info Is Accessed on Android

On many Android phones, emergency information can be viewed from the lock screen by tapping Emergency or Emergency call, then selecting Emergency information or a similar option. Exact wording varies by manufacturer and Android version.

Because Android menus differ between Samsung, Pixel, Motorola, OnePlus, and other brands, the most reliable place to check is usually Settings > Safety & emergency.

What Information Should You Include?

  • Full name
  • Date of birth
  • Emergency contacts
  • Allergies
  • Current medications
  • Medical conditions
  • Blood type, if known
  • Primary doctor or preferred hospital
  • Important notes, such as pacemaker, diabetes, seizure history, dementia, or mobility concerns

Avoid putting highly sensitive information on the lock screen if you would not want it visible to someone holding the phone.

Bottom Line

If you use an iPhone, set up Medical ID in the Health app and make sure emergency contacts are current. If you use Android, check Safety & emergency settings and configure medical information, emergency contacts, Emergency SOS, and location sharing. For Apple Watch, Pixel Watch, or Samsung Galaxy Watch users, these settings help fall detection and emergency features notify the right people when it matters most.

Note: Emergency features depend on the device, software version, battery level, wireless coverage, location permissions, and regional support. They are helpful tools, but they are not a replacement for calling emergency services or having a care plan in place.

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