Who wants to think
about those horrible emergencies that could happen to you or a loved one? But
wouldn’t it be self-assuring to know you have vital personal and medical
information for first responders and hospital staff in case of an emergency. An
accessible and convenient place to keep emergency information is on your smartphone,
but only if you know how to do it so the person who needs to access the
information can see it without unlocking your phone.
In case of emergency
(ICE) can be added to the phone of each of your family members whether they
have an apple or android device. Here is a way that everyone who has a smartphone
can use a simple technological app to his or her advantage.
ICE on IPhone
All IPhones with IOS
8 or later have the red heart health app. Most people think of this app as an
alternative to a fit watch, proving the number of steps walked and distance
traveled per day. What you may not know is this app has a medical id section where you can record necessary personal
information for someone to access in case of an emergency. After opening the
IPhone health app you will see the *Medical Id tab. In this section you have an option to record
your date of birth, medical conditions, medications taken, allergies, emergency
contacts, blood type, weight and height. If your phone is locked a medical
professional can access the medical data you inputted by pressing the
“emergency” on the lower left hand corner of the number screen.
ICE on Android
Android
phones are slightly more complicated since there are many different versions. So
on an android phone you have a choice to put an emergency contact on a locked
screen through your settings or download an app.
Android Settings:
Here is a
step-by-step way to put an emergency contact on your phone that is accessible
when locked.
*Go to device settings
*Select the security option
*Click on screen security
*Choose Owner Info
*Check the box that says ‘show owner info on locked screen’
You can
then type in the emergency contact information in the field provided. Once done
lock your phone and you will see the ICE contact you inputted.
Android App:
There are many emergency
apps for Androids, but beware many of them are not accessible on a lock screen.
My favorite is the ICE app available on
Google apps, which will work on any Android 4.2 or newer. The $3.99 cost of this app is worth the price
since you can add a lot more information then going to the settings section of
your device. Similar to IPhone the app allows you to list your emergency
contact, insurance, allergies, medical conditions and medicines. There is also
a companion app, which permits storage of information for the whole family.
I hope you
will add in a layer of protection for you and your family members by turning
your phone’s lock screen into a potentially life saving ICE tool.
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