Recently, Apple released the latest iOS 15.4 Beta 3 system update. iOS 15.4 is certainly a big update, as it brings a ton of new features like unlocking Face ID while wearing a mask and universal controls, but it seems like more features are coming.
After iOS 15.4 Beta 3 was released to developers, some users noticed that users were now prompted to check their emergency contact settings after the update.
After installing the latest iOS 15.4 updates on an iPhone, the Settings app displayed promptly asking users to check the settings for the emergency contact feature, which is used to call emergency contacts when you press and hold any of the volume and side buttons.
According to internal iOS documentation, this prompt was added to the system. However, while the reason for triggering the prompt is unknown, it appears to only appear on users who have not set up emergency contacts on their iPhones. Clicking on this prompt will take the user to emergency contact settings.
Once you or someone using your iPhone calls an emergency contact, iOS will automatically send a message to the person you choose and tell you the current location of your phone. Maybe Apple wants to make sure more people have this feature enabled because it saves lives in an emergency.
If you haven’t set up emergency contacts on your iPhone, you don’t have to wait until you upgrade to iOS 15.4 to do so. You can now enable emergency contacts by going into the Settings app, while emergency contacts can be selected through the Health app.
iOS 15.4 Beta is now open to developers and public beta users. The official version is expected to be released this spring.