Following the terrorist attack at the Orlando, Florida, nightclub, Pulse, the Orlando Police Department said they had a difficult time tracking down next of kin for the deceased.
Investigators said [that] is because many of the cell phones, which belonged to the deceased victims, were locked.
The following is a tip which could help authorities notify your next of kin or spouse in any type of emergency.
For example, if someone was seriously injured in a car accident, and the person’s phone was locked, this would allow authorities to see the emergency contact information without needing a pass code. Authorities would not have access to any other part of the phone. The emergency contact information would display on the front of the locked screen only.
For iPhones
Navigate to the Health App (white app with Heart), then navigate to the tab for Medical ID. This is where you would enter your information and enable it to show on the emergency screen. Then, navigate to your pass code screen, hit emergency, and you will be directed to the white screen. At the bottom left it will have your Med ID and all of your information.
For Android
Navigate to the settings tab. Once inside this menu, navigate to the “Lock Screen” tab. Once you have selected this tab, locate and click on the entry that reads “Owner Information.” Here you can enter your name and emergency contact information. Make sure the box next to “Show owner info on lock screen” is ticked (checked) and tap ‘OK.” Navigate to your home screen and lock the phone. When you turn the screen back on and it shows the emergency screen, your emergency contact information should scroll across the screen without needing to enter a pass code. (Note: If you have unread messages that are usually previewed on the front of the locked screen, they will need to be cleared first.)
Authorities say that every person in a family should have the feature enabled on their smartphones.
If you are not tech savvy and are unable to follow the aforementioned instructions, please contact your cell service provider.