How to set up emergency SOS on your Galaxy mobile device

Imagine working alone in a remote area when an emergency strikes. With no one around, how would you get help fast? This is a reality for thousands of lone workers.

Emergency SOS is critical for ensuring immediate access to help during emergencies, especially for lone workers in remote locations. Employees need to be able to quickly call for help if an emergency or accident occurs. As the number of lone workers rises, organizations are increasingly recognizing this need and providing employees with solutions. In fact, the North American market for lone worker protection solutions is anticipated to grow by a compound annual growth rate of 13.1% to reach 935,000 users at the end of 2027, according to Berg Insight.

In the field, lone workers perform various tasks, from providing home care to managing properties and inspecting utility assets. In an emergency, these workers need an easy way to alert someone who can help.

That’s where the built-in emergency SOS feature on Samsung Galaxy devices comes in — offering powerful protection at no extra cost. Help is right at workers’ fingertips, thanks to the emergency SOS feature on Samsung Galaxy mobile devices such as the all-new Galaxy Z Fold6, Galaxy S25 Series or the rugged Galaxy XCover6 Pro.

In addition to making workers more connected and productive, emergency smartphone apps can be quickly set up to provide emergency contacts with information so they can identify the sender’s exact location and understand their crisis.

Once you’ve configured this feature, just click your Galaxy phone’s side power button three or four times to instantly send key information to your emergency contacts:

• An SOS message, along with a link to the sender’s location, indicated by an address and a map
• Photos of the scene from both the front and rear cameras of the device
• A five-second audio clip

This information can be critical to ensuring a lone worker receives the right help quickly in an emergency. Galaxy phones can also be set up to place a call to your emergency contact automatically.

How to set up emergency SOS

Here’s how to set up the SOS feature on a Samsung phone (some steps may differ depending on the Android OS version):

1. Pull down your notification bar and open “Settings.”
2. Scroll down and select “Safety and emergency.”
3. Select “Send SOS messages.”
4. Toggle it on and choose your emergency contacts (who will receive the message).
5. Choose if you want the SOS triggered by pressing the side button three or four times.
6. Select what you want your phone to do when you trigger the SOS:
   1. Auto call someone: Automatically call your emergency contact after sending the SOS message.
   1. Attach pictures: Automatically attach pictures from your front and rear cameras to your SOS message.
   1. Attach audio recording: Attach a five-second audio recording to your SOS message to give your emergency contact more information about what happened.

Now, your SOS emergency contact feature is all set up. When you click the power button three or four times, your emergency contacts will receive an SOS message, links to a map and the audio clip, photos and auto call (if those features have been activated).

If your Wi-Fi or location is turned off when you try to send the alert, your phone will automatically activate these features first to share your location. Your location will continue to be shared with your emergency contacts for 24 hours. They’ll get a new notification every 30 minutes if your location changes.

How to turn off emergency SOS

If you find that you are accidentally triggering the SOS or want to turn it off for another reason, you can do so in just a few taps:

1. Open “Settings” and go to “Safety and emergency.”
2. Tap “Send SOS messages” and toggle it off.
3. You can also adjust the SOS trigger from three to four presses of the side key to reduce the chance of false alarms.

Sharing your medical information with first responders

If you have a medical condition, it’s a good idea to store this information in your Galaxy phone so first responders can provide appropriate treatment if you are incapacitated. To save your medical information:

1. Open “Settings” and select “Safety and emergency.”
2. Tap “Medical info.”
3. Note any conditions, allergies and current medications in the fields provided.

First responders can find this information even if your phone is locked, simply by tapping the “Emergency call” tab on the home screen.

Supporting lone workers

Emergency smartphone apps play a crucial role in enhancing lone worker safety, offering features that complement built-in device capabilities and providing additional layers of protection.

Organizations in fields as diverse as home healthcare, education, utilities, hospitality, real estate, field services, oil and gas, security and more are increasingly seeking better ways to increase security and support for lone workers through features like emergency SOS. Some also rely on these solutions to comply with occupational safety regulations and lower employee insurance costs.

For enterprise-level deployments, organizations may leverage a specialized lone worker safety application that includes additional capabilities and integrates with their dispatch system. In those instances, enterprises can utilize advanced Samsung Knox device management features to remap the physical buttons on phones or smartwatches to trigger alerts through that application.

By providing visual, audio and location data in emergencies, mobile devices have become a vital tool in protecting the fast-growing lone-worker labor force. With emergency SOS and smartphone apps, the same rugged phone that makes field work easier and more productive — no matter how tough the working conditions — also keeps workers safe, no matter where they venture.

Discover the durability and reliability of Samsung’s rugged devices, built to withstand the toughest environments and keep you connected. Or sign up for updates on Galaxy S25 Series, and enjoy exclusive volume pricing, bulk trade-in discounts, free shipping and more with a Samsung Business Account.