Emergency SOS is a safety feature that calls emergency services when you hold down buttons, and you can turn it off in Settings

Emergency SOS on iPhone is designed to let you call 911 (or your country's emergency number) by holding the side button and volume button together for a few seconds. The phone counts down, makes a loud sound, and then dials. If you keep triggering it by accident, or you straightforward don't want the feature active, you can disable it completely in your phone's settings. The process takes less than a minute and works the same way on all recent iPhone models.

The feature exists because it's hard to find the phone app in a real emergency. But if you have a case that presses both buttons at once, or you're worried about pocket-dialing 911, turning it off is straightforward. You can also keep the feature but disable the automatic call part, so the countdown happens but nothing dials unless you tap a button to confirm.

Key Takeaways

  • You can turn off Emergency SOS completely by opening Settings, going to Emergency SOS, and toggling off "Call with Side Button".
  • If you want to keep the feature but stop it from calling automatically, turn off "Auto Call" instead, so you have to tap to confirm the call.
  • Disabling Emergency SOS does not affect your ability to call 911 manually through the Phone app at any time.
  • The setting is in the same place on iPhone 14, iPhone 15, and older models, though the exact wording may vary slightly.

How to turn off Emergency SOS completely

Open the Settings app on your iPhone. Scroll down and tap Emergency SOS. You will see a toggle next to "Call with Side Button" — tap it to turn it off. That's it. Emergency SOS is now disabled, and holding the side button and volume button together will do nothing.

If you want to keep the feature but prevent it from calling automatically, stay in the Emergency SOS settings and turn off Auto Call instead. This way, when you hold the buttons, the countdown still happens and the loud sound still plays, but the phone won't dial unless you tap the green phone button on the screen to confirm. This is useful if you want the safety feature available but don't want accidental calls.

Why Emergency SOS keeps triggering by accident

The most common cause is a phone case that presses the side button and volume button at the same time when you're holding the phone. Some cases have raised edges or thick material that makes this straightforward to do without meaning to. If this is your problem, you have three options: switch to a different case, disable Emergency SOS, or turn off Auto Call so you have to confirm before anything dials.

Another cause is if you're using your phone while wearing gloves, or if you're reaching for something and your hand lands on both buttons. If this happens rarely, turning off Auto Call is usually enough. If it happens constantly, disabling the feature entirely is simpler than dealing with the countdown every time.

You can still call 911 even with Emergency SOS off

Turning off Emergency SOS does not prevent you from calling 911. You can always open the Phone app and dial 911 manually, just like on any phone. The Emergency SOS feature is just a shortcut for people who might not be able to unlock their phone or find the Phone app in an actual emergency. If you disable it, you're only removing the button shortcut, not your ability to call for help.

If you're worried about losing the feature entirely, remember that you can turn it back on at any time by going back to Settings > Emergency SOS and toggling "Call with Side Button" on again. There's no penalty for turning it off and on as needed.

Different ways to disable the feature on different iPhone models

The process is the same on iPhone 14, iPhone 15, iPhone 13, and iPhone 12: Settings > Emergency SOS > toggle off "Call with Side Button". On older iPhones that use the home button instead of a side button, the feature is called "Emergency SOS" but works the same way — you press the side button and home button together, and you disable it the same way in Settings.

If you have an iPhone running an older version of iOS, the setting might be labeled slightly differently. Look for "Emergency SOS" in Settings, and you should find the toggle to turn it off. If you can't find it, check that your iOS is up to date by going to Settings > General > Software Update.

What happens when you turn Emergency SOS back on

If you disable Emergency SOS and later decide you want it again, go back to Settings > Emergency SOS and toggle "Call with Side Button" back on. The feature will work exactly as it did before. You don't lose any settings or have to reconfigure anything — it's just an on-and-off switch.

Some people turn Emergency SOS off temporarily when they know they'll be in a situation where they might trigger it by accident (like playing a contact sport or doing physical work), and then turn it back on later. There's no limit to how many times you can toggle it.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will turning off Emergency SOS affect my ability to call 911?

No. You can always call 911 by opening the Phone app and dialing it manually. Emergency SOS is just a button shortcut. Disabling it only removes that shortcut, not your ability to reach emergency services.

Can I turn off Emergency SOS but keep the countdown sound?

Not exactly. If you turn off "Call with Side Button", the entire feature is disabled — no countdown, no sound. If you want the countdown and sound but not the automatic call, turn off "Auto Call" instead. This keeps the feature active but requires you to tap the screen to confirm before it dials.

Why does my iPhone keep calling 911 even though I disabled Emergency SOS?

Make sure you toggled off the right setting. Go to Settings > Emergency SOS and check that "Call with Side Button" is off (the toggle should be gray, not green). If it's already off and you're still having problems, restart your iPhone by turning it off and back on.

Does disabling Emergency SOS affect other emergency features on my iPhone?

No. Medical ID, emergency contacts, and other safety features work independently. Turning off Emergency SOS only disables the button shortcut to call 911 — nothing else changes.

Can I set up Emergency SOS to require a passcode before it calls?

No, there's no passcode option. Your choices are to disable it completely, turn off Auto Call so you have to tap to confirm, or leave it fully enabled. If you want maximum security, disable it and call 911 manually when you need to.