Everybody has something they don’t like to think about. It could be that big performance review next week at work or maybe it’s an upcoming dentist appointment. For some, delivering bad news to a close friend is to be avoided at all costs.
But for just about all of us, dwelling on our own mortality isn’t exactly what we’d call a day at the beach.
There’s no escaping it: The Reaper is lurking out there. But with the help of a couple of apps there maybe ways to stave him off for a bit.
Medical ID
Every iPhone comes with Apple’s Health app. Fire it up for the first time and you’ll be prompted to create a digital ID card.
Your name and picture from your card in the Contacts app will appear. Optionally, you can add your birthdate, sex, height, and weight.
You’re then given the chance to create a Medical ID. One day this information could save your life so be as detailed as possible.
- By default, the Show When Locked switch is turned on, allowing access to your Medical ID if your iPhone is locked–and we recommend leaving it that way. More on why in a moment.
- Enter any medical conditions you have.
- Enter any medical notes.
- List your allergies and reactions.
- Enter your current medications.
- Tap add emergency contact to display your contacts. Pick someone to be an emergency contact, tap the preferred phone number for the contact, and add his/her relationship to you (e.g., spouse, sister). You can add several emergency contacts
- Add your blood type.
- Tap Next.
- Tap Done.
Next up: Organ donation. If you want to be an organ donor, the Health app makes it easy to register with Donate Life, even if you’re already a donor, say, through your state’s driver license program. Just provide your contact info, and the app will send it to Donate Life, a national registry.
Once you’re finished creating your Medical ID, you can access it within the Health app with a tap on the Medical ID button. And you can always update or delete the data whenever you want.
If you turned on the Show When Locked switch in Step 1 above, you or anyone else can also access your medical ID from the lock screen. Here’s how:
- Press the home button (or in iOS 9 or earlier, swipe) to display the passcode keypad.
- Tap Emergency.
- Tap Medical ID.
To access your Medical ID on your Apple Watch, do this:
- Press and hold the side button until the Medical ID slider appears.
- Swipe right on the Medical ID slider.
As first responders and medical personnel gain more exposure to this feature, the more likely they’ll be looking for it. And that’s good news that could potentially save vital time in an emergency.
Emergency SOS
watchOS 3 has loads of great new capabilities, and putting the side button to better use with the Emergency SOS feature is one of the big ones.
You can use your Apple Watch to quickly call for help and alert up to three SOS contacts. Here’s how to set it up:
- On your iPhone, tap the Watch app.
- Tap General.
- Tap Emergency SOS.
If you leave the Hold to Auto Call switch on, then you can press and hold the side button on your Apple Watch to automatically call emergency services.
You can add up to three SOS contacts from your Contacts app who will be alerted with a text message (so be sure to pick phone numbers for your SOS contacts that can receive a text message).
To use Emergency SOS on your Apple Watch:
• Your iPhone must be nearby or • Your Apple Watch must be connected to a known wi-fi network and you must set up wi-fi calling on your iPhone (Settings > Phone > Wi-Fi Calling).
Here’s how to activate Emergency SOS on your Apple Watch:
- Press and hold the side button.
- If Hold to Auto Call is on, keep holding the side button (or swipe right on the Emergency SOS slider).
- Wait for a countdown to begin and an alert to sound.
- At the end of the countdown, your watch will automatically call emergency services.
- After the call ends, Apple Watch will send a text message to your SOS contacts.
And that’s it. In just a few minutes time you can gain a little peace of mind knowing that your iPhone and Apple Watch are ready to throw you a lifeline.
Do you have these features set up on your iPhone or Apple Watch?
These 2 apps could be crucial to have set up in an emergency. Do you have these features set up on your devices? Let me know in the comments section below!
