How to Add ICE to Your Cell Phone

This wikiHow teaches you how to add an "in case of emergency" (ICE) contact to your iPhone or Android phone. You can do this by using the built-in Health app for your iPhone or by using an app called "QuickICE" on your Android. On Samsung Galaxy phones, you can use the built-in Samsung Contacts app to assign emergency contacts that will display on your lock screen.

Method 1
Method 1 of 3:

On iPhone

  1. Image titled Add ICE to Your Cell Phone Step 1
    1
    Open your iPhone's
    iPhone Settings App Icon
    Settings.     Tap the grey app with gears on it. You'll usually find Settings on the Home Screen.
  2. Image titled Add ICE to Your Cell Phone Step 2
    2
    Scroll down and tap SOS. It's in the third group of options on the Settings page.
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  3. Image titled Add ICE to Your Cell Phone Step 3
    3
    Tap Set up Emergency Contacts in Health. This is near the bottom of the screen.
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    4
    Tap Create Medical ID. It's in the middle of the page.
  5. Image titled Add ICE to Your Cell Phone Step 5
    5
    Make sure that the "Show When Locked" switch is green
    iPhone Switch On Icon
    .     This option is at the top of the screen. If the switch isn't green, tap it to turn it on before proceeding.
  6. Image titled Add ICE to Your Cell Phone Step 6
    6
    Scroll down and tap add emergency contact. You'll find it at the bottom of the screen.
  7. Image titled Add ICE to Your Cell Phone Step 7
    7
    Select a contact. Scroll to the contact whom you want to add as your emergency contact, then tap their name.
    • The contact whom you choose must have a phone number in your phone rather than a Facebook profile (or something similar).
  8. Image titled Add ICE to Your Cell Phone Step 8
    8
    Select a relationship when prompted. Tap a type of relationship (e.g., mother, partner, etc.). You may need to scroll down to find the one that you want to use.
  9. Image titled Add ICE to Your Cell Phone Step 9
    9
    Tap Done. It's in the top-right corner of the screen. Doing so saves your emergency contact.
    • By default in iOS 11, you can access the SOS menu by clicking quickly the "Lock" button five times in a row. You can then slide the Medical ID switch right to open the Medical ID page, which includes your ICE contact.
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Method 2
Method 2 of 3:

On Android

  1. Image titled Add ICE to Your Cell Phone Step 10
    1
    Download QuickICE. Not all Androids have the option to add an emergency contact, but you can use an app called QuickICE to set up ICE contacts and access them from the lock screen. To download:[1]
    • Open a browser on your Android.
    • Go to the QuickICE page.
    • Tap OPEN IN PLAY STORE
    • Tap INSTALL
    • Tap AGREE
  2. Image titled Add ICE to Your Cell Phone Step 11
    2
    Open QuickICE. Tap OPEN in the Google Play Store, or tap the snowflake-shaped QuickICE icon in your Android's App Drawer.
  3. Image titled Add ICE to Your Cell Phone Step 12
    3
    Tap →. It's in the bottom-right corner of the screen.
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    4
    Tap Allow when prompted. This will allow QuickICE to access your contacts and phone app.
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    5
    Tap the "Contacts" icon. It's the silhouette of a person in the bottom-right corner of the screen. A pop-up menu will appear.
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    6
    Tap Import from Contacts. This option is at the top of the pop-up group of options.
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    7
    Select a contact. Scroll to the contact whom you want to add as your emergency contact, then tap their name.
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    8
    Add QuickICE to your Android's lock screen. To do so:
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Method 3
Method 3 of 3:

On Samsung Galaxy

  1. Image titled Add ICE to Your Cell Phone Step 18
    1
    Open the Contacts app. Open the Samsung Contacts app that came pre-installed on your Samsung Galaxy phone.
    • This is only possible with Samsung's Contacts app. It can be downloaded from the Galaxy Apps store.
  2. Image titled Add ICE to Your Cell Phone Step 19
    2
    Tap ⋮. It's on the top-right of the screen. This opens a drop-down menu.
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    3
    Tap Groups. It's the first option in the drop-down menu.
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    4
    Tap ICE - emergency contacts. It's the first group at the top.
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    5
    Tap EDIT. It's at the top of the screen.
  6. Image titled Add ICE to Your Cell Phone Step 23
    6
    Tap ＋ Add member.
  7. Image titled Add ICE to Your Cell Phone Step 24
    7
    Tap all the contacts you want to add. When a contact is selected, a checkmark will appear over the profile image of the contact and that contact's name will appear at the top.
    • Tap the - next to the contact's name at the top to remove them from the ICE group.
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    8
    Tap DONE. It's at the top-right of the screen.
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    9
    Tap SAVE. It's at the top-right of the screen.
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    10
    Tap
    Android 7 Expand Left
    twice to return to the main contacts page.     In the event of an emergency, you can now quickly access your Emergency Contacts from the lock-screen on your phone by pressing the Emergency Call button.
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Warnings

  • You should make sure that your ICE contacts are still correct and available on the lock screen after your phone updates.
    ⧼thumbs_response⧽
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References

  1. ↑ https://android.gadgethacks.com/how-to/call-emergency-contacts-right-from-your-quick-settings-tiles-android-nougat-0176244/

About This Article

Jack Lloyd
Written by:
Jack Lloyd
wikiHow Technology Writer
This article was co-authored by wikiHow staff writer, Jack Lloyd. Jack Lloyd is a Technology Writer and Editor for wikiHow. He has over two years of experience writing and editing technology-related articles. He is technology enthusiast and an English teacher. This article has been viewed 373,818 times.
12 votes - 82%
Co-authors: 22
Updated: September 16, 2021
Views: 373,818
Categories: First Aid and Emergency Health Care
Article SummaryX

To add an in-case-of-emergency contact to your cell phone, first navigate to your phone’s settings and look for an "Emergency SOS" option or something similar. If your phone is an Android and doesn’t have the option, you can download an emergency contact app from the app store instead. Either way, select an emergency contact, such as a close friend or family member. If you’re presented with an option to display the emergency contact on your lock screen, make sure to select it. If you don't see this option, it should display by default. For more tips, including specific steps for iPhone, Android, and Samsung Galaxy phones, read on!

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