'I didn't know!': Mum shares little-known, 'life-saving' iPhone feature
A woman has taken to Facebook to remind people of a simple iPhone feature that could save lives.
The woman based on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland said she was at Kmart when another shopper became unresponsive and needed medical attention.
“I was looking through her purse and then when I found her phone, it’s locked and needs the pin number she was unresponsive so we could not access the contacts,” the woman wrote on Facebook.
While searching through the woman’s phone in the hope to find information, she noticed a feature she could access without needing the pin code or face time to unlock.
“Lucky she was ok but if I could of called her nearest and dearest we could of been told of any possible illnesses and maybe they have an epipen or something,” the woman continued.
The woman was referencing Apple’s emergency contact feature, a setting available to anyone on all iPhones, even when the handset is locked.
“In your settings add a medical ID, it will have all medical knowledge and emergency contact numbers that an ambulance or member of the public can use without unlocking your phone,” the woman explained.
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The emergency contact features allows iPhone users to nominate an emergency contact phone number as well as list any allergies or medical requirements that can be identified without having to use the mobile phone’s unlocking feature.
To make an emergency call the Apple website instructs users to go to the lock screen and then tap the red “emergency” button.
The person can then call the emergency number the iPhone user has nominated.
Important medical information such as allergies and conditions can be listed in this screen as well, if the user has entered the information.
“If someone needs help and is unresponsive, you can check their iPhone for Medical ID.
“Medical ID provides information about a person that may be important in an emergency, like allergies, medical conditions and who to contact,” the Apple website states.
Social media users grateful for ‘great idea’
The woman’s Facebook post about the feature quickly gained popularity, with many grateful users happy to be reminded to input their information.
“Thanks, I have just added this, great idea,” one person wrote.
“Thank you so much for this, I didn’t know about it either I will also do it on my kids phones, what a life saving tool this could be!” another user replied.
Many people also suggested the feature was useful for emergency services to access.
“Everyone should fill this out, great share for people who didn’t know about it,” one person replied.
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