How to set up Medical ID on your iPhone for emergency responders
Your iPhone can display essential health information even when it is locked. This feature, called Medical ID, gives paramedics and other emergency responders a quick way to see details such as allergies, medical conditions, medications, blood type and emergency contacts without knowing your passcode.
A few minutes of careful setup can make a difference during a cycling accident in Melbourne, a fall on a Sydney walking track or a medical episode while travelling through regional Australia. Medical ID does not replace professional medical advice or an emergency call, but it can provide useful context when you cannot speak for yourself.
What Medical ID does and does not do
Medical ID is part of Apple’s Health app. The information is stored on your iPhone and can be made available from the lock screen by selecting Emergency and then Medical ID. A responder does not need Face ID, Touch ID or your passcode to view the details you choose to share in this way.
The feature does not automatically diagnose a problem, unlock your phone or send a complete health record to an ambulance service. It also does not guarantee that someone will check the device. Responders may be working quickly, the iPhone may be damaged, the battery may be flat, or the lock screen may be difficult to reach.
Medical ID is separate from Emergency SOS. Emergency SOS can call emergency services and alert selected contacts, while Medical ID presents health information. In Australia, the emergency number is 000, also known as Triple Zero. Some mobile phones can also use 112, but 000 is the number to remember for police, fire or ambulance assistance.
Your emergency contacts can receive alerts after an Emergency SOS call if you have enabled that option. They are not automatically notified simply because somebody opens Medical ID. This distinction is useful when deciding who to add and what information to include.
Find the Medical ID settings
Open the Health app on your iPhone, tap your profile picture or initials in the top-right corner, then select Medical ID. On some older iOS versions, you may find it by opening the Summary tab, tapping your profile picture and choosing Medical ID.
Select Edit to enter or change your information. Apple may present fields for your name, date of birth, medical conditions, allergies and reactions, medications, blood type, organ donor status, weight, height and preferred language. You do not need to complete every field. Accurate, relevant information is more useful than a long list of uncertain details.
The wording and available fields can vary slightly between iOS releases. iPhones sold in Australia through Apple, mobile carriers and retailers such as JB Hi-Fi generally provide the same Health and Medical ID functions, although the exact menu layout depends on the iOS version installed.
Before saving, check that the name matches the person who owns the phone. If the device belongs to a child, older family member or someone who needs support, complete the record with them where possible. This helps avoid confusing an old diagnosis, allergy or medication with current information.
Choose information responders can use quickly
Start with high-risk facts. A serious drug allergy, epilepsy, diabetes, anticoagulant use, implanted medical device or condition that affects treatment should be easy to spot. Use plain language rather than abbreviations that a stranger may not understand.
For allergies, include both the substance and the reaction when known. “Penicillin — anaphylaxis” is more useful than simply writing “penicillin”. For medications, include the medicine name and any critical instruction, but do not rely on Medical ID as a complete medication chart. Prescriptions and doses can change.
Blood type can be included if it has been confirmed by a reliable medical source. Avoid guessing. In an emergency, hospitals will normally use their own testing and clinical procedures rather than relying solely on a phone entry.
Add emergency contacts who are likely to answer and understand your medical background. A partner, parent, adult child, carer or close friend may be appropriate. Include the relationship in the contact label, such as “Alex — partner”, rather than using an unexplained first name.
Medical ID is especially useful for people who spend time alone, manage complex conditions or travel between locations. Someone hiking near the Blue Mountains, working remotely in Western Australia or swimming at a Queensland beach may be separated from their usual support network, making a clearly labelled contact valuable.
Allow access from the lock screen
Within the Medical ID editing screen, turn on Show When Locked. This setting is what permits a responder to reach the record without your passcode. If it is disabled, the information remains in the Health app but is not available through the normal emergency lock-screen route.
You can also choose Share During Emergency Call where the option is available. This setting controls whether your Medical ID information may be shared with emergency services during a call through supported systems. Availability and behaviour can depend on the iPhone model, iOS version, network and region, so it should be treated as an additional channel rather than a guarantee.
To check the result, lock your iPhone and wake the screen. Tap Emergency on the passcode screen, then look for Medical ID. Confirm that the displayed details are correct and that your emergency contacts appear as intended. Do not place a real emergency call during this test.
Ask a trusted person to repeat the test while you observe. This catches common problems, such as a contact being listed without a phone number, an allergy being hidden in an unclear note or a user expecting Medical ID to appear automatically on the main lock screen.
If you use an Apple Watch, review its Health and emergency settings as well. A Watch can support emergency features, but its behaviour is not identical to the iPhone’s Medical ID display. Keep the information consistent across devices when both are used regularly.
Protect privacy while keeping details available
Medical ID is designed to reveal selected information without revealing everything on the phone. A responder should not be able to browse your photos, messages or banking apps through this feature. Even so, health information is sensitive, so enter only what is relevant and accurate.
The Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) is an important part of Australia’s wider privacy framework, but it does not mean an emergency responder will automatically access or update your personal Medical ID. You control the entries on your phone, and you are responsible for reviewing who is listed as an emergency contact. Medical ID is also not a substitute for records held by your GP, pharmacist, hospital or ambulance service.
Be cautious with details that become outdated. A former medication, old address or previous emergency contact can cause confusion. When you change doctors, begin or stop a medicine, receive a new diagnosis or replace your phone, revisit the record. If you keep household technology instructions together, you can also save this setup guide with other device notes for later reference.
Use a strong passcode and keep Face ID or Touch ID enabled where suitable. Showing Medical ID from the lock screen does not weaken the phone’s main security. It simply provides a controlled emergency pathway to the fields you have selected for sharing.
Test the emergency access route
After setting up the record, perform a complete check at home. Lock the phone, wake it, tap Emergency, select Medical ID, and read the page as though you had never seen the device before. Make sure the most important facts appear near the top and that the text is understandable without background knowledge.
Check phone numbers for Australian formatting and confirm that contacts still use those numbers. If a family member lives overseas, include the international prefix where appropriate, but keep at least one person who can realistically respond within Australia. Someone listed as an emergency contact should know they have been added and understand what to do if they receive an alert.
Review the entry after an iOS update, a major medical appointment or a change of medication. A simple calendar reminder every three or six months can help. People who travel frequently should also check the record before a long flight, road trip or camping holiday.
| Item | What to enter | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Medical conditions | Current, significant diagnoses | Helps responders understand risks and symptoms |
| Allergies and reactions | Substance plus reaction | Can warn against potentially dangerous treatments |
| Medications | Current critical medicines | Provides useful context during assessment |
| Emergency contacts | Reliable people and relationships | Gives responders someone informed to call |
| Blood type | Confirmed result only | Prevents an unverified detail from causing confusion |
| Show When Locked | Turned on after testing | Makes the record reachable without the passcode |
| Share During Emergency Call | Enabled if available and desired | May provide extra information during supported emergency calls |
Keep the information current
Medical ID works best as a small, carefully maintained emergency summary. It should tell a responder what they need to know first, rather than trying to reproduce your entire medical history. Clear wording, current contacts and a successful lock-screen test matter more than filling every available field.
For Australian users, remember that Medical ID does not contact 000 by itself and does not guarantee a response. Call Triple Zero when there is a genuine emergency, follow the operator’s instructions and give the location as clearly as possible. In areas with poor reception, carry the usual safety equipment for the activity, since a phone feature cannot solve every coverage or battery problem.
Set up the record today, check it from the locked screen and tell your chosen emergency contacts that it exists. A short review after your next prescription change or iPhone upgrade will help keep this small but important safety feature reliable.