Get help during an emergency with your Android phone

You can use the Personal Safety app to save and share your emergency info. Your phone can also contact emergency services automatically in some countries and regions and with certain carriers.

Important:

Prepare for an emergency

Important: Anyone who picks up your phone can find your lock screen message and emergency information even if your phone is locked. You can turn this setting off in the Safety app .

Use the Personal Safety app

The Personal Safety app is available on some Android devices. The app will show as the Personal Safety app in Play Store and in settings. But in your list of apps, it only shows as the Safety app .

Tip: To remove the Safety app from your list of apps, you can disable it. Learn how to disable apps that came with your Android phone.

What you can do

  • On Android 12 and earlier, if the Personal Safety app is not installed on your phone: You can sign in with your Google Account, add emergency contacts, and list medical information.
  • When the Safety app is installed: You can use Emergency SOS, emergency sharing, safety check, and crisis alerts.

What you need

Some Personal Safety app features require Location Services and permissions to be turned on, such as emergency sharing, car crash detection and crisis alerts. For some user types, location sharing is available in certain countries and regions only. Learn more about location sharing.

You can share your real-time location with others from your devices with location sharing. When you share your location with someone, that person can find your name, photo, and real-time location across Google products, including Google Maps. Your shared location information could include:

  • Your current or previous locations
  • Your current activities, like driving or walking
  • Your device specifics, like battery life or GPS connections
  • Your places, like home, work, or destinations
Add emergency info to the Personal Safety app
You can add personal emergency info to your phone's lock screen, like your blood type, allergies, and medications.
  1. On your phone, open the Safety app .
  2. Sign in to your Google Account.
  3. Tap Your info.
  4. Add your emergency info.
    • For Medical information:
      • Tap Medical information.
      • To add info like blood type, allergies, or medications, tap the item in the list you want to update.
    • For Emergency contacts:
      • Tap Emergency contacts and then Add contact and choose the existing contact you want to add.
Tips:
  • To show your emergency info when your screen is locked, tap Emergency info access and then Show when locked.
  • If you don't have a SIM card or eSIM on your phone, you may be able to place emergency calls, but you won't be able to call your emergency contacts. Learn how to insert a SIM card.
Set up & turn Emergency SOS on or off
If you're in an emergency situation, you can use your phone to trigger emergency actions like calling for help, sharing your location with your emergency contacts, and recording video.
Important:
  • Your phone must have a SIM for Car crash detection to work. Learn how to add a SIM.
  • Emergency SOS doesn't work in airplane mode or when Battery Saver is on.
  • Emergency SOS is available on Android 12 and later.

Set up & turn Emergency SOS on

  1. On your phone, open the Settings app.
  2. Tap Safety & emergency and then Emergency SOS.
  3. At the bottom right, tap Start setup.
  4. If you need help, your phone can start emergency actions.
    1. To set up your emergency services number, tap Start.
      1. If you need to change the local emergency number, tap Change number.
      2. Once you have the correct local number, tap Next.
    2. To share your location information with and send updates to your emergency contacts, tap Start setup and then Set up.
      1. Tap Add contact, and then pick a contact to share information with during an emergency.
      2. Choose what information to have Emergency SOS share with your emergency contact. 
      3. Tap Next.
    3. To share your location in an emergency, you must allow the Personal Safety app to access your location while using the app.
      1. Tap Next and then While using the app.
    4. To have Emergency SOS start an emergency recording while still using your phone's other features, scroll down and tap Start setup.
      1. If you want to record emergency video, tap Turn on and then While using the app.
      2. You can choose to share your video automatically with your emergency contacts after it's backed up to your device. Choose Share automatically after backup and then Next.
    5. To start Emergency SOS actions, choose one of the options:
      1. Select Use touch & hold to start actions.
      2. Select Start actions immediately after countdown. If you want an alarm to sound with this option, turn on Play alarm sound.
  5. Tap Done.

Choose how to start Emergency SOS

You can set up Emergency SOS so the emergency actions start automatically, or you can require a confirmation step before the actions start.

  1. Open your phone's Settings app.
  2. Tap Safety & emergency and then Emergency SOS.
  3. Under "How it works," tap the Settings icon.
  4. You can set up Emergency SOS in two ways:
    • To add a confirmation step before an emergency action starts, tap Touch & hold to start actions.
    • To start emergency actions automatically after a 5-second countdown, tap Start actions automatically.

Turn Emergency SOS off

  1. Open your phone's Settings app.
  2. Tap Safety & emergency and then Emergency SOS.
  3. Under "How it works," tap the Settings icon.
  4. Tap Turn off Emergency SOS.
Put a message on your lock screen
  1. On your phone, open the Settings app.
  2. Tap Display.
  3. Under "Lock display," tap Lock screen and then Add text on lock screen.
  4. Enter your message, like info that would help someone return your phone if you lost it.
  5. Tap Save.
Manage alerts & tests
Important: You can use emergency broadcast notifications to manage certain emergency messages, like disaster warnings, threat notifications, and AMBER alerts.

You can turn alert types on or off, find past alerts, and control sound and vibration.

  1. On your phone, open the Settings app.
  2. Tap Notifications and then Wireless emergency alerts.
  3. Choose how often you want to receive alerts and which settings you want to turn on.

Control monthly tests

You can change the monthly test setting in "Developer options." Other settings on your phone could change when you turn "Developer options" on. Learn more about Developer options.
  1. On your phone, open the Settings app.
  2. Tap About phone.
  3. Tap Build number 7 times.
  4. To turn Developer options on, enter your PIN, password, or pattern.
  5. In your phone's Settings app, tap Notifications and then Wireless emergency alerts.
  6. Turn Test alerts on or off.
To turn "Developer options" off, in your phone's Settings app, tap System and then Developer options.

Get help during an emergency

Use Emergency SOS to call for help, alert your contacts & record videos

Important: You won't be able to share your real-time location with your emergency contacts unless you have a Wi-Fi or mobile network internet connection.

If you're in an emergency situation, you can use your phone to start emergency actions like calling for help, sharing your location with your emergency contacts, and recording video.

  1. On your phone, press the power button 5 times or more.
  2. Depending on your settings, touch and hold inside the red circle for 3 seconds or wait for the automatic countdown to start the emergency call.
  3. After you start an emergency call, other emergency actions begin based on your settings.

Important: If you turned on Emergency Sharing and video recording, these actions will start while your call is placed to emergency services. Learn more about recording video in an emergency.

Record video during an emergency

How Emergency recording works

You can still use your phone to do other tasks like to share your location with emergency contacts and get help from local emergency services while Emergency recording is ongoing.

Important:

  • Video recording is designed for you to record emergency situations and related events to improve your personal safety.
  • In addition to our Privacy Policy, when you use the features of our products to record, upload, and/or share video and audio content, such as recordings of an emergency situation, we may log use of the application, sharing with emergency contacts, and video link views and downloads.
  • Recordings of emergency events may be disturbing to your emergency contacts and may cause those persons distress.
  • Please use the video sharing feature carefully. It is your responsibility to ensure full compliance with the law when you use this feature, which includes any applicable state and federal video recording or wiretapping laws.
  • When you use this feature, you acknowledge and accept the statements above. Learn about our Terms and Conditions.

If you open another app that uses your camera, Emergency recording will be paused. When Emergency recording is paused, your recording shows a gray screen. To go back to your Emergency recording, open the Safety app again or tap the notification at the top of your screen.

Emergency recording can record and save video up to 45 minutes. The quality of the video is about 10 MB per minute.

How auto share works

If you turn auto share on, a link to your video is automatically shared with all of your emergency contacts after each recording. If you don't have emergency contacts set up, your video won't be shared with anyone. If you decide you don't want to share the video, you have 15 seconds after recording to cancel sharing.

Sharing is dependent on your internet connection and there might be a gap between when your recording is finished and when video is uploaded and shared. Any emergency contact you share your video to can download a copy of it.

There can only be one sharing link active per video at a given time. Each link created has a 7-day expiration timer that is meant to protect your privacy. You can deactivate a link at any time. To refresh the expiration timer, deactivate the existing link and create a new link.

To deactivate a sharing link:

  1. On your phone, open the Safety app .
  2. At the top left, tap Your info and then Your videos.
  3. Next to a video, tap More and then Stop sharing and then Stop sharing.

Tip: To refresh your sharing link, tap Get link to share.

Emergency recording is intended for personal use in emergency situations to keep you safe. Google will automatically disable an active shared link if it's being shared excessively.

How auto backup works

Emergency recordings are automatically uploaded to the cloud to help prevent data loss if your phone is lost or destroyed during an emergency situation. Uploading to the cloud requires an internet connection and may cost money if you're on limited data access. Uploaded emergency recordings can be managed any time with an internet connection.

To manage your videos:

  1. On your phone, open the Safety app .
  2. At the top left, tap Your info and then Your videos.
  3. Next to a video, tap More and then Share or Delete.
Tip: If you delete a file, it's permanently deleted from your Google Account and this action can't be undone.
Accidental calls

If you place a call to emergency services by mistake, do not hang up. Tell the emergency operator that the call was accidental and that you do not need assistance.

Find emergency info
  1. On a locked screen, swipe up.
  2. Tap Emergency And then View emergency info.
Send your location automatically

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

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

Turn emergency location service on or off

  1. On your phone, open the Settings app.
  2. Tap Location and then Location services and then Emergency Location Service or Google Emergency Location Service.
  3. Turn Emergency Location Service or Google 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 extra 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. Google uses this info to analyze how well ELS works and 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.

Share your location with your emergency contacts
You can let your emergency contacts find your location and receive updates about where you are and your battery percentage. You must give the Personal Safety app permission to access your location.

To use emergency sharing, you'll need:

  • At least one emergency contact
  • To grant the Safety app "While in Use" location permissions
  • An internet connection with Location Services turned on

Start emergency sharing

  1. On your phone, open the Safety app .
  2. Tap Emergency sharing.
  3. Select who you want to share your real-time location with.
    • You can also add an optional message.
  4. Tap Share
    • You can tap the notification banner to find the details of your "Emergency sharing."

Tip: If location sharing is unavailable in your country or region, a message will appear in the Safety app.

Stop emergency sharing

  1. On your phone, open the Safety app .
  2. At the top left, tap Emergency sharing and then Stop and then Stop sharing.
    • You can add a note to explain why you've ended the emergency share.

Tip: Emergency sharing will automatically end after 24 hours.

Managed Emergency Sharing settings

  1. On your device, open the Safety app .
  2. Tap Safety & emergency > Emergency sharing.
  3. Scroll to the bottom of the screen and tap Settings.
  4. Select the information that you want to share with your emergency contacts during an emergency share.
  5. Turn Multi-device location sharing on or off.

Tip: When Multi-device location sharing is turned on for a device, we will use the device’s location as a backup in the case you start an Emergency Share on another device, but that other device can no longer share its location.

Schedule a safety check
If you want your phone to check on you and let your emergency contacts know if anything is wrong, you can schedule a safety check. For example, you can use a safety check when you walk in an unfamiliar area or go to a party. You must grant "While in Use" location permissions to the Safety app.
  1. On your phone, open the Safety app .
  2. Tap Safety check.
  3. Select your Reason and Duration.
    • You can set the check at any duration for up to 24 hours.
  4. Tap Next.
  5. Select your contacts.
  6. Tap Start.

Tip: If you turn notifications on for your emergency contacts, they're notified when a safety check is scheduled and has ended.

Mark yourself safe

When it's time to check for your safety, you'll get an alert for 60 seconds before emergency sharing begins. If you mark yourself safe, the emergency share will be canceled. You can stop the safety check at any time through the notification. If you don't choose one of the options in 60 seconds, emergency sharing will begin.

  1. When you get the notification, choose one of the options:
    • I'm OK
    • Start sharing now
    • Call 911
  2. If your phone is locked, you might need to unlock it.

If your phone turns off or loses signal, the safety check will remain active and will start an emergency share with your last known location at the scheduled check-in time.

How emergency contacts are notified
When a safety check starts, if you turn notifications on for your emergency contacts, they get a text with your name, the duration of your safety check, and a reason, if you provided one.
Later, if you start an emergency share manually or can't mark yourself as OK when your phone checks in, Google shares a link to find your real-time location and remaining battery percentage in Google Maps.
Emergency sharing and safety checks stop when you stop it or mark yourself safe. When they stop, Google sends another text to your contacts to let them know it ended.
Share emergency info with emergency services
Use the Personal Safety app to send info to emergency services.
On your phone:
  1. Open your Personal Safety app.
  2. Tap Your info and then Emergency Info access and then Share during emergency call.
Get crisis alerts
When you opt in to crisis alerts, you are notified in the Safety app about public emergencies or local crises, like natural disasters. Crisis alert notifications include a link to the Safety app's homepage where you can find extra information about the event.
Crisis alerts are available in all countries and regions and all languages. If your phone is set to a different language other than the local language, the alert may show up in the official language of your current location instead of your set language.

Turn crisis alerts on or off

  1. On your phone, open the Safety app .
  2. Tap Features and then Crisis alerts.
  3. Turn Crisis alerts on or off.

How Google sends crisis alerts

Google manages crisis information from official local sources. If a crisis is posted that affects your location, the Safety app notifies you. Google posts crisis alerts based on various factors, like internet connectivity in the affected area, the availability of official content from governments and other authoritative organizations, and the impact on the ground.
Alerts are typically available in the primary languages of the affected area and English. Learn about crisis alerts.

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 your phone's Google Location Accuracy.

Get alerts for nearby earthquakes
Your Android phone sends you alerts about nearby earthquakes of magnitude 4.5 and above using your approximate location. Coarse locations from Android devices are used to determine which devices will receive an earthquake alert. This information does not and is not used to identify or locate a specific user. Earthquake alerts can be turned off at any time in Safety & emergency and then Earthquake Alerts. Earthquakes are detected by ShakeAlert and by Android.

Important:

  • Earthquake alerts aren’t supported in all areas.
  • Not all earthquakes can be detected.
  • Magnitude and shaking intensity estimates may have errors.
  • You may receive an alert before, during, or after shaking begins.

ShakeAlert

These earthquake alerts are based on data from ShakeAlert, and are currently active in the following US states: California, Oregon, and Washington.

Android Earthquake Alerts System

These earthquake alerts are based on the Android Earthquake Alerts System.

Where event impacts cross state borders:

  • Regardless of the epicenter of the event, you'll receive alerts from Android based only on the system authorized to alert in each state.
  • Alerts will attribute that state’s detection system.
Where the Android Earthquake Alerts System is active
  • Afghanistan
  • Albania
  • Algeria
  • Anguilla
  • Antigua and Barbuda
  • Argentina
  • Armenia
  • Aruba
  • Australia
  • Austria
  • Azerbaijan
  • Barbados
  • Bangladesh
  • Belize
  • Bhutan
  • Bolivia
  • Bosnia & Herzegovina
  • Brazil
  • Bulgaria
  • Chile
  • Colombia
  • Croatia
  • Cuba
  • Cyprus
  • Czechia (Czech Republic)
  • Djibouti
  • Dominica
  • Dominican Republic
  • Ecuador
  • Egypt
  • El Salvador
  • Eritrea
  • Ethiopia
  • Falkland Islands
  • France
  • Georgia
  • Germany
  • Greece
  • Grenada
  • Guadeloupe
  • Haiti
  • Honduras
  • Hungary
  • Iceland
  • India
  • Iran
  • Iraq
  • Israel
  • Jamaica
  • Jordan
  • Kazakhstan
  • Kosovo
  • Kyrgyzstan
  • Laos
  • Lebanon
  • Malaysia
  • Moldova
  • Mongolia
  • Montenegro
  • Myanmar
  • Nepal
  • New Zealand
  • Nicaragua
  • North Macedonia
  • Oman
  • Pakistan
  • Palestine
  • Papua New Guinea
  • Peru
  • Philippines
  • Portugal
  • Romania
  • Saint Barthelemy
  • Saint Martin
  • San Marino
  • Saudi Arabia
  • Serbia
  • Sint Maarten
  • Slovakia
  • Slovenia
  • Solomon Islands
  • Somalia
  • Spain
  • Switzerland
  • Tajikistan
  • Tanzania
  • Thailand
  • Timor-Leste
  • Trinidad and Tobago
  • Tunisia
  • Turkey
  • Turkmenistan
  • Ukraine
  • United Arab Emirates
  • United States
  • Uzbekistan
  • Vanuatu
  • Venezuela

Earthquake alerts are on by default. You might not get alerts for all earthquakes in your area, and you will only receive alerts in supported countries. Occasionally, you may get an alert but not feel an earthquake in your location.

Wireless Emergency Alerts & Emergency Alert System

Wireless Emergency Alerts and Emergency Alert System alerts always show up on top of any other screen.

For example, on Android, if a state issues a severe storm alert as Wireless Emergency Alerts or Emergency Alert System, it’ll show on top of all other alerts, including Earthquake.

Here’s the order of display priority for these alerts:

  1. Wireless Emergency Alerts or Emergency Alert System: Always on top
  2. Earthquake Alerts: Next
  3. App notifications: Last
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 Safety & emergency and then Earthquake alerts.
    • If you don't find Safety & emergency, tap Location and then Advanced and then Earthquake alerts.
  3. Turn Earthquake alerts on or off.

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