Skip to Content

Apple Watch Gains 'SOS' Emergency Call Feature With WatchOS 3

by

Today at it's WWDC keynote, Apple announced a brand new feature for watchOS 3 called SOS. The emergency call feature works similar to LifeAlert, allowing a user to easily call emergency services when they need it quickly and easily.

f1465838340
A user just has to press and hold the side button underneath the Digital Crown, and the emergency call will countdown from three. The Watch will then automatically call 911, or the equivalent for the country the user is in. The call will go through the paired iPhone, but it'll also be able to call directly from the Apple Watch if the Watch is on a Wi-Fi network.

SOS will also send your location to your emergency contacts, alerting them that you're in need of help. The Watch itself can also display a user's MedicalID, easily displaying a user's name, age, date-of-birth, medical conditions and other medical information.

Related Roundup: Apple Watch 11
Buyer's Guide: Apple Watch (Neutral)

Popular Stories

MacBook Neo Feature Pastel 1

First MacBook Neo Benchmarks Are In: Here's How It Compares to the M1 MacBook Air

Thursday March 5, 2026 4:07 pm PST by
Benchmarks for the new MacBook Neo surfaced today, and unsurprisingly, CPU performance is almost identical to the iPhone 16 Pro. The MacBook Neo uses the same 6-core A18 Pro chip that was first introduced in the iPhone 16 Pro, but it has one fewer GPU core. The MacBook Neo earned a single-core score of 3461 and a multi-core score of 8668, along with a Metal score of 31286. Here's how the...
Read Full Article • 338 comments
MacBook Neo Feature Pastel 1

Apple Announces $599 'MacBook Neo' With A18 Pro Chip

Wednesday March 4, 2026 6:15 am PST by
Apple today announced the "MacBook Neo," an all-new kind of low-cost Mac featuring the A18 Pro chip for $599. The MacBook Neo is the first Mac to be powered by an iPhone chip; the A18 Pro debuted in 2024's iPhone 16 Pro models. Apple says it is up to 50% faster for everyday tasks than the bestselling PC with the latest shipping Intel Core Ultra 5, up to 3x faster for on-device AI workloads,...
Read Full Article • 1354 comments
Multicolored Low Cost A18 Pro MacBook Feature

Apple Accidentally Leaks 'MacBook Neo'

Tuesday March 3, 2026 7:00 am PST by
Apple appears to have prematurely revealed the name of its rumored lower-cost MacBook model, which is expected to be announced this Wednesday. A regulatory document for a "MacBook Neo" (Model A3404) has appeared on Apple's website. Unfortunately, there are no further details or images available yet. While the PDF file does not contain the "MacBook Neo" name, it briefly appeared in a link...
Read Full Article • 402 comments

Top Rated Comments

Johnny907 Avatar
Johnny907
127 months ago
And there had better be a way to disable this, or else I'm going to be wrist-dialing 911 everytime I do pushups. Having to go through my photos and delete a page full of watch face screen shots after every workout is annoying enough, but this could be extremely embarrassing plus potentially criminal in some areas.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Z
Z400Racer37
127 months ago
Could have saved my friend's dad's life... Amazing.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
AVEGA Avatar
AVEGA
127 months ago
This is a fantastic idea , I wonder how many idiots will cry and call this a junk app . I assume this is not exclusive to watch but iOS 10 update .

Watch this Jon Oliver Segment on 911 and this app will make so much more sense .
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
artfossil Avatar
artfossil
127 months ago
You don't think about needing assistance . . . until you do.

For me, it's living alone in a 1920's cottage with steep basement stairs . . . And having a campus studio in a building that's often deserted after hours or on holidays . . . and having a bad hip (now recoving from hip replacement surgery).

I welcome this app. The ability to communicate in an emergency is one of the reasons I got the Watch.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Benjamin Frost Avatar
Benjamin Frost
127 months ago
You don't think about needing assistance . . . until you do.

For me, it's living alone in a 1920's cottage with steep basement stairs . . . And having a campus studio in a building that's often deserted after hours or on holidays . . . and having a bad hip (now recoving from hip replacement surgery).

I welcome this app. The ability to communicate in an emergency is one of the reasons I got the Watch.
Hope your hip gets better and you're hopping around soon.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Z
Z400Racer37
127 months ago
I'm sorry for your loss.
Many thanks.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Read All Comments