How to set up Siri emergency calling with iOS 14.5

With iOS 14.5, Siri supports calling emergency contacts. All you have to do is say, “Siri, call my emergency contact” and it will know to call whoever you’ve assigned the title. The feature works whether you’re in need of assistance or someone else is. 

But in order for it to work properly, you’ll have to make sure both your emergency contacts are updated and that Siri is enabled on your iPhone. 

Here’s how to set up emergency calling with Siri in a few simple steps.

1) Set up your emergency contact

In order for Siri to call an emergency contact, you’ll have to designate someone first. First, go to the Health app and tap on the profile icon in the right-hand corner. Then, tap on Medical ID, the Edit button, and scroll down to Emergency Contacts.

Once you tap on the green plus sign icon to add an emergency contact, you can scroll through your contact list or search for a specific person. You’ll then be asked to specify your relationship to that person. Then tap on Done and your contacts will be saved.

You can also access your emergency contacts by going to Settings > Emergency SOS > Emergency Contacts > Edit Emergency Contacts in Health.

Whenever you use Emergency SOS on your iPhone, your emergency contacts will receive a message notifying them that you called emergency services along with your current location.

2) Check your Siri settings

Image: screenshot / apple

You should also make sure Siri is up and running. Go to Settings > Siri & Search and toggle on Listen for “Hey Siri,” “Press Side Button for Siri,” and “Allow Siri When Locked.” That way, in case there’s an emergency, you (or whoever is helping at the time), will have plenty of ways to access the voice assistant. 

3) Say “Siri, call my emergency contact” 

Image: screenshot / apple

Once both your emergency contacts and Siri are all set up, the feature is simple to use. If you’re ever in distress, all you need to say is “Hey Siri, call my emergency contact.” The feature works for those who are in need of help too — if someone else is unconscious, anyone around them can use their phone and the same Siri command to place the call for them.