Emergency Emergency!!! — Setup and use Emergency Information Android

Emergencies are unforeseen circumstances that may be life-threatening and call for immediate action. No one wakes up in the morning prepared for an accident or sleeps with extra caution because a fire may start … etc. However, when emergencies occur we need all the help we could get; whether we are the ones who need the help directly or trying to help those in the emergency.

In dire situations, especially when you are a first respondent to an emergency, you probably you do not know the person(s) you are helping, and if they are incapacitated the problem gets bigger. You also might need to contact the family or friends immediately or eventually depending on the emergency. Smartphones being ubiquitous are sometimes the best shot at reaching out for help. Technology has advanced greatly to this effect. In this article, I hope to help you;

1. Set up your emergency information on your device(if you haven’t)
2. Identify and get emergency information on another person’s device even when the phone is locked.

Let’s get started. This article is for Android users. If you are an iPhone user, please check this article.

A. SETTING UP EMERGENCY INFORMATION

Android 9 and below

1. Go to settings
2. In the search area type: Emergency Information
3. Select one of the results that pops-up
4. The next screen displays the Emergency Information as shown below;

Emergency Info page

Your screen might look different depending on the android version you are using and phone especially if your company uses a custom Android operating system.

If your emergency information is not set you can click on the Edit Information button and continue to the next screen to set the information. Below is an example of the screen;

Note the title of the screen changes to Medical Information …

From the above screen, you can set your medical information. The most important that ought not to be left out are; blood type, allergies and medications. This information may be pertinent to doctors, nurses or other caregivers who might need it while administering drugs or care.

To set this information, just click the section you want to set information for and start typing. Below is a screen example;

A pop-up Edit Text Example

After entering the required information your screen should look like below;

A complete medical information page

Now you are good to go, but one final step, we need to add emergency contacts; people who should be called in case of an emergency. Here is the procedure;

1. In the Emergency Information screen scroll to the bottom and find the area labelled as Emergency Contacts.

Click Add Contact and choose a contact from your contacts.

So, how do I access this vital information? 👇

B. ACCESSING EMERGENCY INFORMATION FROM A LOCKED DEVICE

This information is designed to be accessed even when the device is locked, so no need not worry that you won't be able to access it unless you have a passcode. Here is how to go about it;

1. While the screen is locked access the password/pin screen.
2. Look at the bottom of the keypad or keyboard for text written “Emergency”
3. Click it once, this takes you to a screen where you can make emergency calls.
4. In this screen, you should see “Emergency Information” text, at the top of the screen double click the area.

Emergency Call Screen

In the next screen the emergency information and contacts are displayed as shown below;

Emergency Infomation from a locked device

Emergency contacts

All one needs to do is tap on the contact to make the call.

I hope you find this article useful. In case you are unable to set up the emergency information, just leave a comment below and I will get back to you and help as I can.

ALL DONE NOW CHEERS!