iOS 15 brings a new feature in the Health app that lets you automatically share your medical ID during an emergency call. This makes it easier and faster for first responders to help you.
Note: This is a beta so the location of these features within Settings may change.
Sharing Your Medical ID
When I opened the Health app I saw a prompt to start sharing my Medical ID. You can see your ID by opening the Health app, tapping on your profile photo in the upper-right corner, and tapping Medical ID.
When you enable “Share During Emergency Call,” your iPhone or Apple Watch can automatically share the information from your Medical ID with emergency services when you call or text from a supported location. Your photo is not shared. Sharing your Medical ID information can help emergency services provide improved response. Certain information, like Primary Language, Allergies and Reactions, and Medical Conditions can be especially helpful. You can update your Medical ID at any time in the Health app.
Additionally, Apple says that it cannot access your Medical ID. When you call or text emergency services your location and encrypted ID is sent to Apple. Using your location, the company checks if the Enhanced Emergency Data service is available in your area. If so, then Apple forwards your information to a partner for delivery to emergency services. If you disable Emergency Calls & SOS by going to Settings > Privacy > Location Services > System Services, this check can’t happen and your ID won’t be shared.
Andrew:
This is a welcomed feature, and one that we had suggested Apple would/should make available on the iPhone/Apple Watch a while back. I’ll be addressing this in an upcoming article about anticipated HealthKit features we should expect in (quasi) near term.