The Accidental 911 Call
By default, iOS features a highly sensitive emergency shortcut. If you rapidly press the iPhone’s Side Button (the power button) five times in a row, or physically hold down the Side Button and a Volume button simultaneously for several seconds, the phone will initiate a loud countdown alarm and automatically dial 911 (or your local emergency services). While this is a critical safety feature for some, if your phone gets wedged tightly in a car mount, or if you absentmindedly mash the buttons in your pocket, you can easily dispatch police to your location by accident. If you prefer to manually dial emergency services, you must disable this auto-call macro.
How to Turn Off Emergency SOS Auto-Call
You can permanently sever the connection between the physical buttons and the 911 dialer via the Emergency SOS settings.
- Open the Settings app on your iPhone.
- Scroll down and tap on Emergency SOS.
- Locate the toggle switch labeled Call with Hold and Release (or Auto Call on older iOS versions).
- Toggle this switch to the Off position (the green background will disappear).
- Immediately below it, locate the toggle switch labeled Call with 5 Presses.
- Toggle this switch to the Off position.
Manual Emergency Dialing Only
The change takes effect instantly. The iPhone will completely terminate the background macro monitoring the hardware buttons. You can now hold down the side buttons or rapidly press the power button, and the operating system will simply display the standard “Slide to Power Off” screen. The Emergency SOS slider will still be available on that screen, guaranteeing you can still call for help, but it now strictly requires an intentional, physical screen swipe to activate the cellular radio.