How to Set Up a Medical ID on Android

A Medical ID is critical health information stored on your phone that emergency responders can access without unlocking it. If you're unconscious, injured, or unable to speak, first responders look for a Medical ID to learn about your medical conditions, allergies, medications, blood type, and emergency contacts.

On iPhone, this feature is built into the Health app and well-known. On Android, it's handled differently by each brand, but every major Android phone has a way to store emergency medical information accessible from the lock screen.

For Samsung Galaxy phones, Medical Information is in the Samsung Health app and can also be set up in Settings. For Google Pixel phones, it's in the Emergency Information section of Settings. For other Android phones, look in Settings under "Safety & emergency" or "Emergency information."

All Android phones running Android 4.0 or newer have the ability to store emergency contact information visible from the lock screen. The exact path to find it varies, but it's always there.

The information you should include: blood type, any serious medical conditions (diabetes, heart disease, epilepsy, etc.), major allergies (especially drug allergies — this is critical for emergency treatment), current medications (especially blood thinners, insulin, or medications with emergency significance), and at least two emergency contacts with their relationship to you.

Setting this up takes less than five minutes and could make a life-saving difference. Emergency rooms routinely check for Medical ID information when treating patients who cannot communicate.