Applications you must install in your phone to help you in emergency situations

Most emergencies do not come with a previous warning, which is why it is important to download applications in your phone to help you in an emergency, in addition to the need to learn how to use the emergency calling  (Emergency SOS) features integrated into phones to prepare for any emergency that you may be exposed to, whether it is a flood, hurricane, fire, earthquake, medical emergency, etc.

Here are the most important types of applications that you should install in your phone, and the most important features of emergency calls built into phones that will help you when exposed to any emergency:

1- Offline messaging app:

During serious emergencies, internet connection often goes down, and it becomes difficult to communicate with others. In order to overcome this problem, it is better to download some messaging applications that can be used without the Internet.

Most of these apps use Bluetooth or Wi-Fi to communicate with people around you, rather than relying on mobile data. As long as others have the same app installed on their phones and are within 150-300 feet of you, you will be able to message them.

If you are an Android phone user, Briar app is a suitable option. iPhone users can download the Bridgefy app.

2 - Application to communicate with people around you:

If your internet connection doesn't go down, you can try using the Zello app, which allows you to communicate with people via calls, using mobile data or Wi-Fi. Zello has public and private channels where you can talk to other people around you and get help.

You can create private channels so that only specific people can access messages, but there are also public channels that anyone can join. Search for something general like the weather, or something specific like the name of a hurricane or a city to see if there are public Zello channels for them.

When you're connected to a public channel in the Zello app, you can lock your phone and still hear anyone speaking on the channel, which is especially useful during emergencies. But the app will not work if Zello servers are down.

This application is available for Android phone users in the Google Play Store, and for iPhone users in the App Store

3- Apps to share your location with others:

When you need to contact emergency services, you can use several apps to share your location with them. You can easily share your location via iMessage and WhatsApp on your phone through mapping applications such as: Google Maps or SirenGPS.

4- Applications to teach you some first aid:

If you are facing a health emergency, the Red Crescent application available in your country, which is available in Google Play and App Store, will help you. If there is no Red Crescent application available in your country, you can call the hot number.

You can also call the emergency medical service and follow first aid instructions, in addition to searching for hospitals near you.

5- Use the emergency SOS features built into your phone:

Smartphones come with a lot of built-in SOS (Save Our Selves or Save Our Souls) features, so it's important to know about them so you can use them in an emergency.

Emergency SOS in iPhone phones:

The Emergency SOS feature available on iPhone phones allows you to quickly and easily request help and alert emergency contacts. And when you place an emergency call, your iPhone automatically calls your local emergency number.

How to make an emergency call on iPhone 8 or later:

1. Press and hold the Side button and one of the volume buttons until the Emergency SOS slider appears.
2. Drag the emergency call slider to call the emergency services. If you continue to press and hold the side button and the volume button without dragging the slider, the phone starts a countdown and an alarm sounds. And if you stop pressing both buttons after the countdown ends, your iPhone will automatically call emergency services.

How to make an emergency call on iPhone 7 or earlier:

1. Press 5 times quickly on the side or top button, and a slider to make an emergency call will appear.
2. Drag the Emergency SOS slider to call emergency services.

After the call ends, your iPhone sends a text message with your current location to your emergency contacts. If location sharing services are off, they will be turned on temporarily. When you change your location, your contacts will receive an update, and you'll get a notification about 10 minutes later.

On the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro models, you can also use the Emergency SOS feature via satellite to send text messages to emergency services when you're out of cellular coverage and Wi-Fi isn't available. You can also use the Find My app to share your location with people via satellite.

These iPhone models can also call emergency services and send a message to your emergency contacts when a severe car accident is detected.

Emergency SOS in Android phones:

On Android phones running Android 12 or later versions, you can activate the Emergency SOS feature and use your phone to carry out emergency procedures, such as calling for help, alerting contacts to notify them of your geographical location, and recording a video about the emergency situation that you are exposed to. To activate this feature; Follow the following steps:

1.  Open the Settings app on your phone.
2.  Click on the (Safety & emergency) option, then choose (Emergency SOS).
3.  Activate the Use Emergency SOS option. You can also activate the Play alarm sound to make a loud sound when you start activating the emergency call feature.
4.  Activate the emergency actions that must be performed when using the emergency calls feature. The available actions are as follows:

• Call emergency services: You can call your local emergency number. For areas where there is more than one emergency number, the police number is the default. To change the number being called, click on the option (Call emergency number) and enter a new number, then click (Save).
•  Share info with emergency contacts: You can share your current location and the latest news with emergency contacts.
•  Record emergency video: Record a video to share with your emergency contacts or save and back up.

And if you are in an emergency situation, you can trigger the emergency actions you selected when you press the power button 5 or more times. Then a 5 second countdown starts before the emergency procedures start, after the countdown ends the emergency procedures start depending on your settings.

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