Emergency SOS is a built-in safety feature on iPhones that lets you quickly contact emergency services by pressing the side and volume buttons. While it’s a great tool in critical situations, it can also be triggered accidentally. If that’s something you’ve experienced, here’s how to turn it off and prevent false alarms on your iPhone 14.
What Is Emergency SOS on iPhone?
Emergency SOS allows you to quickly call for help and alert your emergency contacts. You can trigger it by:
- Pressing and holding the side button + volume button until the Emergency SOS slider appears.
- Or continuing to hold them until a countdown finishes and an emergency call is made automatically.
Once activated, your iPhone calls local emergency services and sends your location to your emergency contacts via text.
Why You Might Want to Disable It
- Accidental triggers: Easily happens if the buttons are pressed while your phone is in your pocket or bag.
- Unintended calls: With Auto Call on, your iPhone will dial emergency services automatically.
- Custom button use: Some users prefer to keep the side button free for other actions, like launching Siri or Apple Pay.
How to Turn Off SOS on iPhone 14
1. Open Settings
Tap the Settings app from your Home screen.
2. Go to Emergency SOS
Scroll down and tap Emergency SOS.
3. Turn Off Auto Call
Toggle off Auto Call to stop your iPhone from automatically dialing emergency services when SOS is activated.
4. Disable Call with Side Button
If you want to avoid activating SOS with the side button combo, toggle off Call with Side Button.
Other Ways to Manage SOS
Using Siri
Say:
“Hey Siri, turn off Emergency SOS.”
Siri will confirm and apply the change for you.
Using Control Center (less common)
- Swipe down from the top-right corner to open Control Center.
- Press and hold the SOS button (if added via customization).
- Slide left to turn off the feature.
Important Notes
- Disabling SOS won’t affect your Medical ID — it will still be accessible from the Lock Screen in emergencies.
- You can’t change the emergency number; your iPhone automatically calls local services based on your location.
- SOS works internationally, so if you’re traveling, it’ll contact emergency responders in that country.
- If you do use SOS, your location is shared with your emergency contacts and updates if it changes.