Get help in an emergency using your Android phone

 

You can use your phone to show your emergency info. In some countries and with some carriers, your phone can share your location with emergency services automatically.

Important:

• Some of these steps work only on Android 12 and up. Learn how to check your Android version.
• Some of these steps require you to touch the screen.

Prepare for an emergency

Important: Anyone who picks up your phone can see your message and emergency info without unlocking your phone.

Add emergency info on your lock screen

You can add a link to personal emergency info to your phone's lock screen, like your blood type, allergies, and medications.

1. Open your phone's Settings app.
2. Tap About phone  Emergency information.
3. Enter the info that you want to share.
   • For medical info, tap Edit information. If you don't see "Edit information," tap Info. 
   • For emergency contacts, tap Add contact. If you don't see "Add contact," tap Contacts. 
   • To clear your info, tap More  Clear all.

Find emergency info

1. On a locked screen, swipe up.
2. Tap Emergency Emergency information.
3. When Emergency information flashes, tap it again.

Put a message on your lock screen

1. Open your phone's Settings app.
2. Depending on your phone:
   • Tap Display Advanced Lock screen display Lock screen message.
   • Tap Security. Next to "Screen lock," tap Settings Lock screen message.
3. Enter your information to help someone return your phone if you lose it.
4. Tap Save.

Use Emergency SOS

Step 1: Turn on Emergency SOS

1. Open your phone’s Settings app.
2. Tap Safety & emergency Emergency SOS.
3. Choose your settings.
4. Choose your emergency SOS actions.

Step 2: Use the emergency SOS button

If you have an emergency and need emergency services, press the power button 5 or more times quickly.

Control emergency broadcast notifications

Important: You can use this setting to manage certain emergency messages, like disaster warnings, threat notifications, and AMBER alerts. You can turn alert types on or off, view past alerts, and control sound and vibration.

1. Open your phone's Settings app.
2. Tap Notifications  Wireless emergency alerts.
3. Choose how often you want to receive alerts and which settings you want to turn on.

   • If you can't find Apps & notifications, get help from your device manufacturer.

You can use this setting to manage certain emergency messages, like disaster warnings, threat notifications, and AMBER alerts.

Send your location automatically

To help first responders find you quickly, your phone’s location can be sent when you dial or text an emergency number. For example, dialing 911 in the US or 112 in Europe.

If Android Emergency Location Service (ELS) works in your country and on your mobile network, and you haven't turned off ELS, your phone will automatically send its location to first responders using ELS. If ELS is off, your mobile carrier may still send the device's location during an emergency call or text.

Turn emergency location service on or off

1. Open your phone's Settings app.
2. Tap Location. If you don't see "Location," tap Security & location  Location.
3. Tap Advanced  Emergency Location Service or Google Emergency Location Service.
4. Turn Emergency Location Service on or off.

How Emergency Location Service works

Your phone uses Emergency Location Service (ELS) only when you call or text an emergency number. 

If your phone has ELS turned on, ELS may use Google Location Services and other info to determine the most accurate location for your phone during an emergency call. ELS may also send additional info, like the language your device is set up with.

To help them locate and assist you, your phone makes this data available to authorized emergency response services. Emergency response services receive this data directly from your phone, not through Google.

After you complete a call or text during which ELS was active, your phone sends usage, analytics, and diagnostics data to Google via Google Play services to analyze how well ELS works. Google doesn’t receive any info that could identify you, including your location.

When you send your location with ELS, the process is different from when you share your location with Google Maps. Learn more about Location Sharing with Google Maps.

Find out about earthquakes in your area

Your phone can detect earthquakes in your area. To learn more about nearby earthquakes, open Google search and search for "earthquake in [your city or region]".

To stop your phone from contributing to earthquake detection, turn off Google Location Accuracy.

Get alerts for nearby earthquakes

California, Oregon & Washington

Your phone can use your approximate location to send you alerts about nearby earthquakes of magnitude 4.5 and above. These earthquake alerts are based on data from ShakeAlert.

Greece & New Zealand

Your phone can use your approximate location to send you alerts about nearby earthquakes of magnitude 4.5 and above. These earthquake alerts are based on the Android Earthquake Alerts System.

Turn earthquake alerts on or off

Important: To get alerts, you must have Wi-Fi or data turned on.

1. Open your phone’s Settings app.
2. Tap Location  Advanced Earthquake alerts. 
3. Turn Earthquake alerts on or off.

You might not get alerts for all earthquakes in your area. Occasionally, you may get an alert but not feel an earthquake in your location.

Related resources

• Check or change phone security settings
• Remotely find, lock, or erase a lost phone
• Google's privacy policy