How to Set Up Medical ID on Your iPhone for Emergencies

Your iPhone can display selected health details and emergency contacts from its Lock Screen, even when the phone is locked. Setting up Medical ID takes a few minutes and may help someone find useful information if you cannot explain it yourself.

This guide shows you where to enter the details, how to make Medical ID visible while locked, and how to check that the setup worked. Menu wording can vary slightly by iOS version.

What Medical ID can—and cannot—do

Medical ID is an optional section in Apple’s Health app. You can add information such as allergies, medical conditions, medications, blood type, and emergency contacts. If you allow access from the Lock Screen, someone with your iPhone can open Medical ID without your passcode.

It is not a substitute for medical records, a conversation with a clinician, or emergency services. Someone responding to an emergency may not know to look for it, and the information may be incomplete or out of date. Include only details you consider useful and appropriate to make accessible from a locked phone.

Set up your Medical ID

1. Open the Health app. Look for the white icon with a pink heart on your iPhone.
2. Open your profile. Tap your picture or initials in the upper-right corner. If you do not see either, look for the profile control shown in your version of the app.
3. Choose Medical ID. In your profile’s medical details, tap Medical ID. If this is your first setup, tap Get Started; if you have already made one, tap Edit.
4. Enter the details you want included. Add relevant information in the available fields, such as allergies, conditions, or medications. You can leave fields blank when they do not apply or you do not want to include them.
5. Add an emergency contact, if you choose. Tap the option to add an emergency contact, select a person from your contacts, and choose their relationship. Ask the person first so they know you have listed them and are comfortable being contacted.
6. Allow access from the Lock Screen. Turn on Show When Locked. This is the setting that lets someone reach your Medical ID without unlocking the phone.
7. Review the emergency-call sharing option. If available, you can turn on Share During Emergency Call so Medical ID information can be shared with emergency services when you call or text them. Apple notes that this feature is not available in every country or region. It is separate from allowing someone to view Medical ID on the Lock Screen.
8. Save your changes. Tap Done when you have finished reviewing the information and settings.

Check that it is visible while locked

Testing the Lock Screen setting helps catch a missed toggle. Do not place an emergency call as a test.

1. Lock your iPhone. Press the side button, or let the screen lock on its own.
2. Open the passcode screen. Wake the display and bring up the screen where you would normally enter your passcode. The exact gesture depends on your iPhone model.
3. Tap Emergency. This opens the emergency-call screen; you do not need to dial a number.
4. Tap Medical ID. Check that the information you chose to show is visible, then exit the screen without calling.

Tips for keeping it useful

• Keep it current. Revisit Medical ID when a medication, allergy, emergency contact, or other important detail changes. A former contact or outdated medication list can mislead as easily as a missing one.
• Use clear, relevant details. Prioritize information that could matter in an emergency. Avoid treating the field as a complete medical history.
• Check names and phone numbers. Confirm that emergency contacts are still reachable and that the relationship label is correct.
• Think about privacy. With Show When Locked enabled, a person holding your locked iPhone can view the Medical ID details you chose to include. Decide what you are comfortable sharing on that screen.
• Make sure someone knows where to look. Tell close family or trusted contacts that you have set up Medical ID. Its availability does not guarantee that a bystander or responder will find it.

Once you have saved the details and checked the Lock Screen, Medical ID is ready to use if someone needs to look for it. A quick review whenever your health information or contacts change helps keep it useful.