In the mid-2000s we were encouraged to create a contact in our cell phone address book called “ICE” (in case of emergency) for paramedics, police, and others who might need our emergency contact information. Today though, with smartphones that contain an enormous amount of personal information, we keep our phones locked which limits the efficacy of the ICE program.
In response to this need, Apple added Medical ID to iOS 8. Medical ID goes beyond ICE, allowing you to name multiple contacts, blood type, organ donor status, allergies, and more.
Setup
Setting up Medical ID is very easy:
- open the new Health app
- tap the “Medical ID” tab on the bottom right
- tap “Create Medical ID”
- enter any information you want on this screen.
Accessing
To access the Medical ID on any iPhone running iOS 8:
- slide the lock screen to access the passcode
- tap “Emergency” in the bottom left corner
- tap “Medical ID” in the bottom left corner