What is a Medical ID?
A Medical ID is a short emergency profile on your phone that first responders can read from the lock screen without your passcode. It typically lists your allergies, medications, medical conditions and emergency contacts. On iPhone it lives in the Health app; Android phones offer the same idea as emergency information on the lock screen. Its job is to speak for you when you cannot, once someone has found you.
How a Medical ID works
You fill in a profile once. When the phone is locked, someone can open the emergency screen (on iPhone, Emergency on the passcode screen, then Medical ID) and read it without unlocking anything else. Apple describes it as a way for first responders to access critical medical information from the lock screen without your passcode, including allergies, medical conditions and who to contact.
On iPhone two switches matter. Show When Locked makes the profile readable from the lock screen. Share During Emergency Call automatically shares your Medical ID with emergency services when you call or text them from your iPhone or Apple Watch. On Android, Google says you can add emergency information such as blood type, allergies and medications, plus emergency contacts, and that anyone who picks up your phone can see it even when it is locked. Our guide on setting up Emergency SOS on Android covers the Android side.
What to put in it
Write for a paramedic who has never met you and has thirty seconds. Plain words beat abbreviations. If a detail would change how someone treats you, include it. Our answer on what to put on a Medical ID goes deeper.
- Allergies, especially to medications, latex or insect stings
- Current medications, including insulin, blood thinners or seizure medication
- Conditions that affect treatment: diabetes, epilepsy, asthma, heart conditions, a pacemaker
- Two emergency contacts with their relationship to you
- Blood type if you know it
- A short note, such as "Type 1 diabetic, glucose tabs in left pocket"
Two examples of a Medical ID doing its job
A runner with type 1 diabetes goes down, confused, on a park path. A passerby calls 911 and opens the runner's locked phone to the Medical ID: "Type 1 diabetic, insulin pump, glucose gel in waist belt. Contact: Jo (sister)." The dispatcher and the arriving crew know to suspect low blood sugar before the runner can say a word. Our page for runners with diabetes covers that setup in full.
A trail runner allergic to bee stings is found by another hiker, swollen and struggling to talk. The Medical ID reads "Severe bee sting allergy. Epinephrine auto-injector in pack, front pocket." That one line tells the finder where the medication is while they call for help.
Medical ID vs ICE contact vs printed card
These overlap, but each fails in a different way. The strongest setup uses all three.
| What a finder learns | Needs your phone working? | Sent to 911 automatically? | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Medical ID (iPhone) or emergency info (Android) | Medical details and emergency contacts | Yes, readable from the lock screen | On iPhone, yes if Share During Emergency Call is on and you call or text from the phone |
| ICE contact saved in your contacts | Who to call | Yes, and unlocked | No |
| Wallet card or ID tag (emergency card maker) | Name, contacts and key medical facts | No | No, but it survives a dead battery |
Limits worth knowing
A Medical ID does nothing until someone picks up your phone. It does not tell anyone you are hurt, and it does not tell anyone where you are. On a quiet trail, that someone might not arrive for hours.
It also depends on the phone surviving. A cracked screen, a dead battery or a phone that flew into a ditch hides the whole profile. That is why a physical ID tag or wallet card is a good backup.
Finally, it only knows what you told it. Out-of-date medications or an old contact number can mislead the people trying to help. Review it when anything changes.
The missing piece: someone who knows you are out
A Medical ID and an ICE contact both wait for a finder. Neither tells anyone that you need finding. A live location link shared with someone at home covers that. They know you are out, where you are, and roughly when you should be back. Used together, the person at home can raise the alarm and the Medical ID speaks for you once help arrives.
On iPhone, Emergency SOS is a separate feature that does reach people: Apple says that after an emergency call ends, your iPhone texts your emergency contacts with your current location unless you cancel, provided cellular service is available. Our answer on what happens when you use Emergency SOS on an iPhone explains the sequence.
Setting it up and pairing it with Holler
Follow your phone maker's steps. On iPhone, Apple's path is Health app, Summary, your profile picture, then Medical ID. On Android, look for emergency information in the Safety or Personal Safety app or in Settings. Our step-by-step guide on how to set up Medical ID on iPhone covers the details.
Holler adds the part a Medical ID cannot do on its own. Your Guardians can follow your live link in a browser, get an SOS if you press it, and get an overdue alert if you miss your return time by five minutes. Your Guardian is the one who calls 911 if needed, since Holler does not contact emergency services.
Questions people ask
Can anyone see my Medical ID?
If Show When Locked is on (iPhone) or lock screen emergency info is set up (Android), anyone holding your phone can read it. That is the point, so include only what helps in an emergency.
Does a Medical ID contact my emergency contacts?
The Medical ID itself does not. On iPhone, Emergency SOS is a separate feature: Apple says that after an emergency call ends, your iPhone alerts your emergency contacts with a text message and your location, unless you cancel. A Medical ID is read by people who find you.
Can Apple read my Medical ID?
Apple says it cannot read your Medical ID information when it is shared with emergency responders.
Do I still need a physical ID if I have a Medical ID?
It is a good idea. A phone can be broken, dead or lost in a fall. A wallet card, shoe tag or wristband works without power.
Is Medical ID available on Android?
Android phones offer emergency information and emergency contacts that show on the lock screen, often managed in the Safety or Personal Safety app. The name and menu path vary by phone maker.
Keep reading
Sources: Apple Support: Set up your Medical ID in the Health app on your iPhone, Apple Support: Use SOS to contact emergency services on your iPhone, Android Help: Get help in an emergency using your Android phone.