Emergency SOS

iOS 10.2 brings Emergency SOS feature from the Apple Watch to your iPhone

The potentially life-saving Emergency SOS feature which debuted on the Apple Watch with the release of watchOS 3 this fall is coming soon to your iPhone via a forthcoming iOS 10.2 software update. As my colleague Cody pointed out, Emergency SOS is now available on an iPhone with iOS 10.2 beta 2. Here's a quick overview of Emergency SOS on the iPhone, how it's invoked and what happens when you use it.

Emergency SOS: How to set up and use this Apple Watch feature

A major new feature that came baked into the watchOS 3 update for Apple Watches was Emergency SOS.

This will let you call 911 to dispatch emergency personnel to your current location and will alert your loved ones that you're in trouble, in extreme bouts of danger, or life-threatening emergencies, right from your wrist.

Video walkthrough: Emergency SOS, Activity Sharing & more in watchOS 3 beta 2

A woman checking the Activity app on her Apple Watch while working out

A second beta of watchOS 3 released last week alongside iOS 10 beta 2, macOS Sierra beta 2 and tvOS 10 beta 2. Having posted our video walkthroughs and detailed overviews of what's new in iOS 10 beta 2 and macOS Sierra beta 2, my colleague Andrew and I now get to take a closer look at everything new in watchOS 3 beta 2.

watchOS 3 beta 2 is not as feature-packed a release as the second beta of iOS 10, but still includes some major new features not found in prior betas, like Auto Unlock, Emergency SOS and Activity Sharing. We also detail a few smaller, useful enhancements in the stock Activity and Workout apps and some related new options added to the companion Watch app on the iPhone.