Contact 911

Contact 911 works like a smart panic button in your hand. It can transmit information to First Responders that might be life-saving.

If you’ve ever fumbled with your iPhone while your heart is racing, you know how awkward it can be to find the Phone app’s keypad. And sometimes, you don’t know exactly where you are. A better, safer solution is to place the Contact 911 app icon on the dock, perhaps replacing the Music app icon. Then it’s easily accessible from any Home screen when seconds count. You can also launch the app by asking Siri to “Contact 911.”

Here’s how Contact 911 works:

• The “Call 911” button simply dials 911 the old-fashioned way. Use with caution, and only in an emergency!
• The “Text 911” button composes a text message to 911 and waits for you to send it. The editable message may include:
- your name, age, race and gender (if you choose to declare them)
- whether you’re stationary, walking, running, cycling or riding in a vehicle
- your course and speed
- a mapping link with your latitude and longitude
- the nearest street address or place

Text-to-911 is obviously better if you’re deaf, hard-of-hearing or have a speech impediment. It’s also better in situations where you can’t risk drawing attention. Or maybe you’ve been kidnapped, you’re injured or just lost.

Not all areas have implemented Text-to-911 yet, but in that case you should get a bounce-back message advising you to call 911 instead. SMS (text) messages may be limited or truncated to around 160 characters. So the information included by Contact 911 is as concise as possible.