The disappearance of Sarah Everard has sent shockwaves around the country.
Since the 33-year-old marketing executive went missing in south London, the issue of women’s safety has become a prominent and highly talked about topic.
Greater discourse over how men can act more considerately to make places safer for women has led to social media users sharing advice on how to feel more protected.
One method being shared around is a function on smart phones that many people were not aware existed.
What is an SOS message?
SOS is an international code signal of distress that was used initially by ships out at sea.
Many smart phones, however, have a built-in function that allows designated contacts to receive a message to alert them that you feel at risk of danger.
It is a function that, it is understood, has existed for a long time – but the disappearance of Sarah Everard has meant that it’s use has become more popular.
On Android phones, users can set up the tool so that it automatically sends a message to selected contacts – it can also automatically call someone, attach a photo taken using the front and rear cameras, and even attach a short audio recording.
How to set up emergency SOS messages on an iPhone
To turn on SOS messaging on an iPhone, you need to have emergency contacts added under the Health app.
If you have an iPhone 8 or later, follow these steps:
- Press and hold the side button and one of the volume buttons until the Emergency SOS slider appears
- Drag the Emergency SOS slider to call emergency services
- If you continue to hold down the side button and Volume button, instead of dragging the slider, a countdown will start and an alert will sound
- If you hold down the buttons until the countdown has finished, your iPhone will automatically call the emergency services
Once the call has finished, your iPhone will send your Emergency contacts a text message with your current location, unless you choose to cancel this option.
If you have location services turned off, it will temporarily turn on. If your location changes, your contacts will get an update and you’ll get a notification about 10 minutes later.
People who have an iPhone 7 or earlier you should:
- Rapidly press the side (or top) button five times
- The Emergency SOS slider will appear. (In India, you only need to press the button three times, then your iPhone will call emergency services automatically.)
- Drag the Emergency SOS slider to call emergency services
How to set up emergency SOS messages on an Android phone
- First, open up your Settings app and search for ‘SOS Messages’. It is an advanced feature within your phone’s settings
- Once you enable the built-in function, you can then select whether the trigger action will be three or four presses of the Power key
- You can also fine tune the settings to choose whether it will automatically call someone, attach pictures and/or an audio recording, and who it will message
If you tell your phone to send an SOS message, it will deliver a message to your designated emergency contacts, with your location attached so that they can locate you.
By Matt Lee
Lead Image: Matt Lee