The emergency iPhone hack everyone needs to know

In the event of an emergency, the SOS feature makes calling for help much easier. 

“With Emergency SOS in iOS 11, you can quickly and easily call for help and alert your emergency contacts,” the apple support website says.

How to set up Emergency SOS 

Make sure you've downloaded the latest software update, then go into your setting and scroll down until you find 'Emergency SOS'. You can then select your emergency contact.. 

How to make a call using emergency SOS

Making the emergency call depends on the type of phone you have.

For iPhone X, iPhone 8, or iPhone 8 Plus

1. Press and hold the side button and one of the Volume buttons until the Emergency SOS slider appears. 
2. Drag the Emergency SOS slider to call emergency services. If you continue to hold down the side button and Volume button, instead of dragging the slider, a countdown begins and an alert sounds. If you hold down the buttons until the countdown ends, your iPhone automatically calls emergency services. 

For iPhone 7 or earlier

1. Rapidly press the side button five times. The Emergency SOS slider will appear. 
2. Drag the Emergency SOS slider to call emergency services.

Once the call has ended, your emergency contact will be notified via text message along with your location. 

RELATED: 'Medical ID' is the safety feature everyone should install on their iPhone

In addition, the Medial ID app is also worth setting up on your phone. 

In the event of an emergency, a locked phone can be incredibly frustrating for medical professionals, however, setting up Medial Id can allow them to access your details. 

This article originally appeared on Better Homes and Gardens.