iPhone as a Medical ID
Do you remember the days when people with certain health complications would wear medical alert bracelets? This feature is the digital equivalent and allows you to include a lot more information about your health. To access it, launch the Health app, tap Medical ID at the bottom right, and then select Create medical ID. You can put in things like allergies, medical conditions, blood type, medication you’re currently taking, emergency contacts, previous hospitalizations…and more. It actually includes a Notes section that allows you to put in detailed information about all sorts of things that are relevant to your health situation.
If you’re in an emergency situation, anyone who finds you can access the data on your iPhone without having to unlock your phone. To do that you just need to enable lock screen access – which is not enabled by default. The first responder can then swipe left, tap Emergency, and then tap Medical ID to access your health information. Of course they will also be able to dial 911 from this section as well. Of course the caveat is that if your phone is stolen anyone can see your medical information, but that probably isn’t your main concern, and you’ll want to make sure to do a remote wipe using Find My iPhone. What is your take on this feature? Have you set it up on your iPhone running iOS 8? Leave a comment below and let us know your opinion. Comment Name * Email *
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