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 10 and up. Learn how to check your Android version.

Prepare for an emergency

You can add a message and emergency information to your phone's lock screen.

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

Add emergency info

You can add a link to personal emergency info to your phone's lock screen. For example, you can add info that would help first responders in an emergency, like your blood type, allergies, and medications.

  1. Open your phone's Settings app.
  2. Tap About phone And then 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 MoreAnd then Clear all.

Find emergency info

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

Put a message on your lock screen

You can add a line of text to your lock screen, like info that would help someone return your phone if you lost it.

  1. Open your phone's Settings app.
  2. Tap Display And then Advanced And then Lock screen display And then Lock screen message. If you don't see "Lock screen display," go back and tap Security. Next to "Screen lock," tap Settings SettingsAnd then Lock screen message.
  3. Enter your message.
  4. Tap Save.

Control emergency broadcast notifications

Tip: You can change your emergency alert settings, like for AMBER alerts and threat notifications.
  1. Open your phone's Settings app.
  2. Tap Apps & notifications and then Advanced and then Emergency alerts.

Send your location automatically

To help first responders find you quickly, dial an emergency number. For example, dial:

  • 911 in the US
  • 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 using ELS.

Turn emergency location service on or off

You can turn emergency location services on or off at any time.

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

How Emergency Location Service works

Your phone uses ELS only when you call or text an emergency number.

During your emergency call, ELS may use Google Location Services and other information to obtain the most accurate location possible for the device.

Your phone sends the location to authorized emergency partners for the purpose of helping emergency services locate you. Your location is sent directly from your phone to emergency partners, not through Google.

After a completed emergency call or text during which ELS was active, your phone sends usage and analytics data to Google for the purpose of analyzing how well ELS is working. This information doesn't identify you and Google doesn't use it to identify you.

Note: Sending your location with ELS is different from sharing it via Google Maps. Learn about Location Sharing with Google Maps.

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