Apple is moving quickly to launch new software updates that improve lives amid the COVID-19 health pandemic. The next version of Apple's iOS software program includes a feature that automatically shares your Medical ID information to responders from your iPhone or Apple Watch.
Medical ID
Apple's devices include a Medical ID, which users could load with important health facts like drug allergies, medications you are taking, and your existing conditions. The feature also includes an emergency touch ID that lets specific professionals reach the patient's loved ones.
Medical ID may be accessed from the Lock Screen at the iPhone without a passcode, or by pressing the Side Button on an Apple Watch even though it's locked. The concept is that everybody can see essential health information about the users in a time of in case of emergencies.
The function referred to as "Share Medical ID During Emergency Calls," is available with the iOS 13.5 beta software program builders can access now. The update will roll out to consumers in the coming weeks.
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Emergency SOS
iPhone and Apple Watch provide a separate feature known as Emergency SOS. When users press down the Side Button on an iPhone and Apple Watch for a few seconds, the function can call nearby emergency services for you.
Emergency SOS also indicates your emergency contact while activated. This feature has been crucial in saving lives by notifying first responders when an iPhone or Apple Watch user has an accident.
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Medical ID in Emergency Calls
What's new in iOS 13.5 and watchOS 6.2.5 is a new functionality that connects Medical ID and Emergency SOS together. Starting later this month, users can choose into a new Emergency SOS feature that automatically updates Medical ID data with emergency services.
This allows first responders by decreasing the need to ask patients about allergies, medications, and other scientific conditions. First responders will routinely get vital statistics from Medical ID while Emergency SOS is activated.
Medical ID statistics are encrypted to make sure the information is stored privately on-device. This privateness is maintained with the new functionality by counting on Enhanced Emergency Data to proportion the records with first responders securely.
Other updates
Apple Watch Series 4 and later also have the Fall Detection feature, which routinely calls emergency services when a fall is detected, and a user is unresponsive. The new Medical ID sharing function could be used for Fall Detection as well.
The new function is currently to be had inside the beta variations of iOS and watchOS. Update to iOS 13.5 and watchOS 6.2.5 when the software updates are available later this month.
Along with the brand-new SOS feature, Apple's iOS 13.5 consists of the first tools to help track the spread of COVID-19. The company and Google have teamed up to make it simpler to trace the steps of people who have been infected and identify people they came into contact with.
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