How to set up Emergency SOS on your Galaxy Smartphone

[AntS]

Emergency SOS is an important feature on your smartphone that makes it easy to notify a contact when you're in an emergency.

And it can not only send a message of "SOS" with coordinates to your current location, but also can send pictures taken from your front and rear camera along with a 5 second audio clip - all of which can quickly relay vital information about your situation to those coming to help you.

How to set up Emergency SOS – Quick Guide

(Some steps may differ depending on Android OS version. I did the following on a UK Galaxy S10 on One UI 3.0/Android 11).

On your device:

1. Settings.
2. Scroll down and select Advanced features.
3. At the bottom of the menu, find Send SOS messages.
4. Toggle it on and choose your emergency contacts (who will receive the message).
5. Adjust the SOS Messages settings (e.g. toggling on/off the options of attaching pictures and/or audio to SOS messages).

Disable Emergency SOS at any time by toggling it off: Settings > Advanced Features > Send SOS messages > Off

How to set up Emergency SOS – Step-by-step Guide

(Some steps may differ depending on Android OS version. I did the following on a UK Galaxy S10 on One UI 3.0/Android 11).

On your device:

1. Go to Settings, scroll down and select Advanced features.

2. Scroll down and select Send SOS messages.

3. Toggle it from off to on.

4. Choose who you want to send the SOS messages to. (You may need to agree to a Terms and Conditions prompt.)

5. Choose your SOS Messages settings. For example toggle Attach pictures and Attach audio recording to on if you would like recipients to know more about your situation in an emergency.

Disable Emergency SOS at any time by toggling it off: Settings > Advanced Features > Send SOS messages > Off

(*Please Note: The SOS Message being sent out is not customisable and Charges May Apply.)

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Plus, there's our Community Newsroom article: Set an SOS signal on your device: https://eu.community.samsung.com/t5/community-newsroom/set-an-sos-signal-on-your-device/ba-p/2702345 

Also, extending your battery life can sometimes be vital in these types of situations. Please check out our guide for saving your smartphone's battery here: https://www.samsung.com/uk/support/mobile-devices/how-can-i-optimise-and-extend-the-battery-life-on-... 

[JAMES4578]

I think it is advisable to set up the Emergency SOS   to give you peace of mind, you never know when you might be in some sort of trouble, enables us to act quickly.    I would think it is not easy to activate by mistake, though suppose there can be glitches.

[Julian9078]

Thanks for sharing such a brief guide. As I was looking for such guidance so that I could set the Emergency SOS on my new galaxy. And after reading this article I have settled the emergency SOS. Thanks again.

[phinrikki]

cool, guys

[derekcfoley]

I tried turning it off as you describe on my S20. My phone keeps pocket dialling 999 from the lock screen due to the stupid emergency call button that CANNOT BE REMOVED whatever setting for SOS you set ... e.g. turning it OFF in settings!

It's happened MANY times now. The UK Police may either start ignoring my calls which will be a problem in a real emergency or start prosecuting and fining me for wasting Police time. 

Unless you want a class action or to lose customers SAMSUNG I suggest you remove it from the pin screen totally!

[Members_Nreq3oB]

Absolute Rubbish Samsung, it doesn't work,  you lot even remotely connected to my phone and said you sorted it out and it wont do it again. what a joke that was shortly after that claim my A 34 5g phoned them a further 6 times .  Your wonderful A 34 5G phoned the emergency service's 16 times In two week, i am no longer a Samsung customer as a direct result of being cautioned by the police.

you are so arrogant to think customer are ***** and don't know what they are talking about, well when your a programmer who one day came up with this absolute white elephant of a idea is going to cost you dearly.

i didn't even want this garbage on my phone, i told you to remove it but no you wasn't having non of it. its not the emergency sos app that's the problem its the phone dialler period.

instead of forcing customers with apps and dumb emergency  sos function they don't even want you just load it on without fully testing and debugging the kindergarten entry level junk. 

you lost a customer of 10 years with this fantastic stupidity,   when a customer insists you remove a function that is a utter debacle and you choose to make it permanent then you better expect customers to jump ship, especially when Samsung is fully aware its a massive problem and when you look on here and so many victims suffering the humiliation of explaining to the police.

the only way you can stop this debacle bit of innovation that Samsung pride themselves with is to follow my recommendation listed below.

Step 1: Shut the phone down by powering it off

Step 2: restart the phone and place it screen down on flat surface

Step 3: once its rebooted place it face up and press the vol up and down and power button in for 10n seconds  without moving the phone.

Step 4: plug in  the power adaptor then open up the phones home screen up using any type of blunt implement and completely rendering the phones ability to phone any emergency, then buy a alternative brand of phone running android with the option to choose the SOS Emergency function on or off or disable it altogether.

That the only way to stop this software but in its tracks.