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How to turn off the automatic emergency call feature on your iPhone so that you don't accidentally dial 911

Sep 4, 2020, 22:05 IST
Business Insider
It's easy to disable your iPhone's automatic emergency call feature.Maskot/Getty Images
  • You can turn off the automatic emergency call feature in your iPhone's settings menu so that you don't accidentally trigger a call to 911.
  • The emergency call feature can be triggered by holding down the Power button with one of the Volume buttons and swiping to call 911.
  • It can also be triggered by pressing the Power button rapidly five times, or by holding down the Power and Volume buttons long enough to automatically call without the need to swipe.
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iPhones have several built-in methods for dialing 911 emergency services just by touching the external buttons on your phone.

This feature is designed to allow you to quickly call for help without having to unlock your phone and dial as you would with a normal call.

How your iPhone will automatically call 911

  • If you press either of the Volume buttons with the Power button on your phone, it'll display the Emergency page, which includes the SOS slider. Swiping the slider to the right will dial 911.
  • If you simply continue to hold the Volume and Power buttons, your iPhone will start a short countdown and dial 911 automatically.
  • If you rapidly press the Power button five times in a row, your iPhone will start a short countdown and dial 911 automatically.
You can open the Emergency page by holding the Power button along with either of the Volume buttons.Dave Johnson/Business Insider

While useful in emergencies, you might worry about triggering either or both of these methods accidentally. If so, you can disable them.

How to turn off the emergency call feature on an iPhone

1. Start the Settings app.

2. Tap "Emergency SOS."

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3. If you want to disable your phone's ability to automatically call 911 when you press the Power button five times, turn off "Call with Side Button" by swiping the button to the left.

4. If you want to disable your phone's ability to automatically call 911 when you hold the Volume and Power buttons, turn off "Auto Call" by swiping the button to the left.

You can customize how emergency calls are triggered in Settings.Dave Johnson/Business Insider

Even if you turn off both of those features, you can still call emergency services from your phone's external buttons, but you need to swipe the SOS slider on the Emergency page to do so.

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