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Welcome to the 'How to send an SMS to an emergency contact on an Android phone' video course. In this video, you'll learn how you set up your phone to automatically send a text message with your location to an emergency contact. This works with your phone's Emergency SOS feature and can make all the difference if you're in trouble or unable to speak.
Emergency SOS lets you call 000 without unlocking your phone or opening apps. It can save time when help is needed urgently, and you can learn more in the 'How to call emergency services from your Android phone's lock screen' course. To start, you need to create an emergency contact. From the Apps screen, tap the Settings app to open it. Scroll the menu to find 'Safety and emergency'.
Tap on it to see the options, then tap 'Emergency contacts'. Tap 'Add emergency contact' to open your Contacts, then choose one from the list. They should have a mobile phone number, not a landline, to be able to receive an emergency text message. Once selected, tap Done. The 'Emergency contacts' screen will display your emergency contact, and you can repeat the steps to add another person if you like.
If you want to delete an emergency contact, tap the More menu on the right, then tap Remove. The contact's name will be selected, and you can tap 'Remove all' at the bottom of the screen. When you're happy with your list, you can check that Emergency SOS is set up. Tap the back arrow on the left to return to the Safety and emergency menu. Then tap Emergency SOS. At the top of the screen, a video will show you how to start an emergency call by pressing the Side key five times in a row.
To avoid making a call accidentally, tap the switch next to 'Require swipe to call' to turn it on. Below that, tap the switch next to 'Send SOS to emergency contacts' to turn it on. Now, if you ever need to make a call to emergency services, your phone will automatically send a text message to your emergency contact with your location, and will keep sending updates for up to 24 hours if your location changes.