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How to set up ICE emergency contacts on your phone

For a paramedic to see your emergency contacts while your phone is locked, saving a contact named “ICE” is not enough: you need to fill in the phone’s medical ID and turn on show when locked. On iPhone it is in the Health app → Medical ID; on Android, in the Personal Safety app (Pixel) or Settings → Safety and emergency (Samsung). It takes five minutes.

Updated on · By Pablo Porras (ChamoenMoto)

Locked phone with the emergency button and two saved emergency contacts

What does ICE mean on a phone contact?

ICE stands for In Case of Emergency. The idea came from a paramedic with the East Anglian ambulance service in England in 2005: save a contact named “ICE” so responders would know who to call.

Today that habit falls short: almost every phone has a passcode, so nobody can open your contacts. That is why iPhone and Android added a medical ID that can be viewed without unlocking the phone.

How do you add emergency contacts on iPhone?

  1. Open the Health app and tap your profile picture at the top right.
  2. Tap Medical ID, then Edit (or Get Started if you have not created one).
  3. Fill in allergies, medications, conditions and blood type.
  4. Under Emergency Contacts, tap +, choose the contact and their relationship to you.
  5. Turn on Show When Locked and, if you like, Share During Emergency Call.
  6. Tap Done.

How a responder sees it: on the passcode screen, tap Emergency, then Medical ID. And after an Emergency SOS call ends, your iPhone texts your emergency contacts with your location, unless you cancel.

How do you add emergency contacts on Android?

Pixel and other Android phones with the Personal Safety app:

  1. Open the Personal Safety app (or Settings → Safety & emergency).
  2. Tap Your info and add your medical information and emergency contacts.
  3. Under Emergency info access, turn on Show when locked.

To view it: swipe up on the lock screen, tap Emergency, then View emergency info.

Samsung Galaxy:

  1. Go to Settings → Safety and emergency.
  2. Fill in Medical info and add your Emergency contacts.
  3. Turn on Show on Lock screen.

To view it: on the lock screen tap Emergency call, then View medical info. Menu names vary slightly by model and Android version.

Who should be your emergency contact?

  • Someone who always answers, including at night: partner, parent, sibling.
  • Someone who knows your medical history and has your insurance details.
  • Two contacts are better than one, ideally in different cities if you ride long distances.
  • Tell them they are your contacts: they need to know what to do if they get the call.

Why is your phone not enough?

Because in a motorcycle crash your phone can break, run out of battery or end up far from you. And whoever helps has to know the medical ID exists and how to find it on a locked phone. That is why it is worth carrying something in plain sight too: a medical ID bracelet or an emergency QR code on your helmet.

Phone medical IDEmergency QR code on the helmet
If the phone breaks or diesCannot be seenStill on the helmet
Helper must know where to lookYes, in a lock-screen menuNo: the sticker says “Scan”
Alerts your familyOnly after an SOS call from your phoneYes, with one tap from the helper’s phone
CostFreeUS$4.99 a year
Medical profile on a phone next to the QR code sticker

The best setup uses both. See what is an emergency QR code and what to put on a medical ID.

Frequently asked questions

Does saving a contact as ICE still work?

Not much. The idea started in 2005, when phones rarely had a passcode. Today, with the phone locked, nobody can open your contacts to look for “ICE”. What does work is the iPhone or Android medical ID with the show-when-locked option turned on, because it opens from the emergency button without your passcode.

Do paramedics actually check your phone?

Sometimes, but there is no guarantee. Some paramedics say they do, yet many people do not know the feature exists, and at a serious crash the crew focuses on treating you first. That makes the phone’s medical ID a good extra layer, but it should not be your only emergency ID if you ride a motorcycle or exercise alone.

Can anyone see my medical ID when my phone is locked?

Yes: if you turn on show when locked, anyone who picks up your phone can see it, as Google warns. So include only what helps in an emergency —allergies, medications, conditions and contacts— and leave off your home address or ID numbers. Apple states that it cannot read your Medical ID when it is shared with emergency services.

Sources

Steps checked on 14 October 2026. Menu names change between iOS and Android versions.

ICE Emergency Contacts on iPhone and Android | MásVidas