How to set up Medical ID on iPhone before you head out

Why Medical ID matters more when you go out alone

When you run, ride or hike with a friend, they can tell a paramedic your name, that you are allergic to penicillin, and who to call. When you are alone, your phone has to do it. Medical ID is Apple's way of putting that information where a stranger or responder can find it, on your lock screen, without knowing your passcode.

Apple describes Medical ID as information that may be important in an emergency, like allergies, medical conditions and your emergency contacts. Your iPhone and Apple Watch can share it automatically during an emergency call (Apple says in the U.S. and Canada only), and in person with first responders who know where to look.

It also feeds other safety features. The emergency contacts in your Medical ID are the people your iPhone texts after an Emergency SOS call. Apple Watch Fall Detection gets its emergency contacts from your Medical ID. Emergency SOS via satellite can share your Medical ID with responders when you have no cell coverage. Setting it up once makes all of those work better.

How to create your Medical ID

These steps come from Apple's iPhone User Guide. You only need your phone and a few minutes.

Turn on lock screen access and emergency call sharing

A Medical ID nobody can see does not help. Two switches control that, and Apple puts both at the bottom of the edit screen.

• Apple explains how a first responder finds it: from the lock screen they swipe up or press the Home button (depending on your model), tap Emergency on the passcode screen, then tap Medical ID.
• Try it yourself once with your phone locked, so you know it shows what you expect.

What to put in your Medical ID as a runner, rider or hiker

Write it for a paramedic reading it at the side of a road. Short, plain and useful beats complete. Our longer list is at what to put on a Medical ID; the essentials for people who train alone are below.

• Allergies, especially to medications, bee stings or foods, and whether you carry an epinephrine auto-injector and where.
• Conditions that change emergency care, such as diabetes, epilepsy, a heart condition or asthma.
• Medications that matter in a crash or fall, such as blood thinners or insulin.
• Emergency contacts who will answer, with the relationship. Two is better than one.
• Your age and a correct birthdate. Apple says Apple Watch Fall Detection turns on automatically for people aged 55 and over, using the age in your Medical ID and Health profile, so keep it accurate.
• Anything a stranger needs to know fast, such as a language you prefer or that you have an implanted device.

How Medical ID works with Emergency SOS, Fall Detection and satellite

Medical ID is quietly connected to most of Apple's other safety tools, which is why it is worth setting up even if you never expect a stranger to read it.

After an Emergency SOS call ends, Apple says your iPhone alerts your emergency contacts with a text message unless you cancel, sends your current location if available, and for a period of time sends updates when your location changes. Those contacts come from your Medical ID. You manage them from Settings, then Emergency SOS, or directly in the Health app. For more, see what happens when you use Emergency SOS on an iPhone.

If iPhone Crash Detection or Apple Watch Fall Detection places a call, Apple says your device shows a Medical ID slider for responders and messages your emergency contacts with your location. With Emergency SOS via satellite on iPhone 14 and later, Apple says you can share your Medical ID and notify your emergency contacts when there is no cellular or Wi-Fi coverage, but you need to set that information up before you go off the grid. The trailhead is too late.

For how Crash Detection behaves on a run or ride, read iPhone Crash Detection for runners and cyclists, and for the side-by-side with Holler, Holler vs Apple Emergency SOS.

If your Medical ID or contacts don't show up

Apple's support pages point to a few settings that quietly stop Medical ID or emergency contact messages from working. Check them once at home.

• Nothing appears on the lock screen. Open Medical ID, tap Edit, scroll to the bottom and make sure Show When Locked is on.
• Contacts got a message but no location. Apple asks you to check Settings, Privacy & Security, Location Services, System Services, and make sure Emergency Calls & SOS is on.
• Contacts got no message at all. Apple says emergency contacts are not automatically notified if Messages is not your selected texting app or has been deleted.
• Fall Detection didn't turn on by itself. It turns on automatically at 55 and over only if your age is entered. Check your Medical ID and Health profile.
• You are outside the U.S. or Canada. Apple says automatic sharing during an emergency call is U.S. and Canada only, so the lock screen view matters more.

Medical ID and Holler: two different jobs

Medical ID speaks to whoever is standing next to you. A live location tool speaks to the people who are not. You want both.

Medical ID cannot tell anyone at home that you are late, and a responder only reads it once someone has found you. That is the gap a live location tool fills. Holler shares your live location with your Guardians through a link that opens in any browser with no app or account, and it sends them an overdue alert if you miss your return time by five minutes, even if your phone has died. It does not contact emergency services, so your iPhone's Emergency SOS and Medical ID stay essential. If you are ever unsure where you are when you call, how to call 911 if you do not know where you are helps.

If you also want something that works when your phone is dead or lost, a paper card or ID band does it. Our free emergency card maker prints one, and Road ID bracelet vs safety app explains why the two work well together.