An emergency SOS feature on iPhones has gone viral on social media after it was highlighted as a way of helping to keep women safe.
The little-known feature – which uses the iPhone lock button to sound a siren, as well as contact the emergency services and the emergency contacts saved in the phone’s address book – has been shared by thousands of people on both Twitter and Instagram over the last 24 hours.
The feature has gone viral following the tragic disappearance of Sarah Everard.
The 33-year-old Marketing Executive vanished after leaving a friend’s house in Clapham at about 9pm last Wednesday and beginning a 50-minute walk home to Brixton.
Since her disappearance – which has been widely reported on in global news outlets – a serving Metropolitan Police officer has been arrested for her suspected kidnap and murder, and investigators searching for her confirmed yesterday evening that human remains had been found in woodland in Ashford, Kent – although the remains have not yet been identified.
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A woman was also arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender.
Since Ms Everard was reported as missing, social media has been flooded with women sharing their personal experiences of safety fears when out in public, particularly at night, alongside tips they have picked up to help protect themselves.
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The iPhone Emergency SOS feature is one safety hack that’s been described by some as a “life-saver”.
Please share this far & wide. Feel so sad about the #SarahEverard news and can’t even begin to imagine how her family & friends are feeling right now ❤️ pic.twitter.com/sYixcMXSnL
If you press your lock button 5 times in a row, your iPhone makes a loud siren, counts down to 3, calls emergency services, then texts your emergency contacts alerting them of the situation and your location. Search ‘Emergency SOS’ to set up #Shewaswalkinghome#SarahEverard
So, how exactly does the feature work then? What does it do? How can it be set up?
The description for the Emergency SOS feature on the Apple website reads: “When you make a call with SOS, your iPhone will call the local emergency number automatically. In some countries and regions, you may need to choose the service that you need.
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“You can also add emergency contacts [meaning that] after an emergency call has finished, your iPhone can alert your emergency contacts with a text message, unless you choose to cancel this option [and] your iPhone then sends them your current location, and, for a period of time when you have entered SOS mode, it sends updates to your emergency contacts when your location changes”.
Got an iPhone 8 model or later? Here’s how to activate Emergency SOS:
Press and hold the side button and one of the volume buttons until the ‘Emergency SOS’ slider appears.
Drag the ‘Emergency SOS slider’ to call emergency services. If you continue to hold down the side button and volume button, instead of dragging the slider, a countdown will start and an alert will sound. If you hold down the buttons until the countdown has finished, your iPhone will automatically call the emergency services.
If you have an iPhone 7 model or earlier, here’s how to activate Emergency SOS:
Rapidly press the side (or top) button five times and the ‘Emergency SOS slider’ will appear.
Drag the ‘Emergency SOS’ slider to call emergency services.
After the call has finished, your iPhone will send your emergency contacts a text message with your current location, unless you choose to cancel this option and in the instance that ‘Location Services’ is off, it will temporarily turn on.
If your location changes, your contacts will get an update and you’ll get a notification about 10 minutes later.
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Chatting with girlfriends about being afraid to walk home at night in London after the disappearance of Sarah Everard. One pointed out that it’s important to set up the emergency SOS feature and add emergency contacts if you have an iPhone. Sharing in case it’s useful for anyone.
If you have an iPhone 8 model or later, you can also choose how you make the emergency call by pressing the side button five times.
Here’s how to change the setting:
Open the Settings app on your iPhone.
Tap ‘Emergency SOS’.
Turn ‘Call with Side Button’ on or off – Pressing and holding the side button along with the volume button will continue to work when this is on.
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You can find more information and FAQs about how to set up iPhone’s Emergency SOS feature via the Apple website here.
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Two North West cities named among the ‘noisiest’ in the UK – including Manchester
Emily Sergeant
A new analysis has revealed a list of the noisiest cities in the UK, and two Greater Manchester locations are in the top five.
From blaring sirens and car horns, to house parties, barking dogs, and loud neighbours, escaping the noise of a city can feel almost impossible – even in your own home.
No matter whether you live in the hustle and bustle, or you’re out in the sleepier suburbs, noise can keep you up at night, disturb your peace, and lead to frustration. But just how loud are Greater Manchester’s cities compared to the rest of the UK? In a bid to get to the bottom of it, Alpine Hearing Protection has done some research to compile a top 10 list.
And both Salford and Manchester have found themselves not just within the top 10, but within the top five… and to make matters worse, Salford has actually claimed the number one spot.
The reason Salford has found itself at the top of the list, according to the research, is because it sits at the intersection of several major transport and urban hubs, with major motorways running through or around the city including the M60, M61, and M62.
Major rail routes also run through the city – including via Salford Crescent – which sees 16 million passengers every year, and also leads to Manchester Airport.
Top 10 noisiest cities in the UK
Salford
Portsmouth
Manchester
Southampton
London
Leeds
Stoke-on-Trent
Wakefield
Newcastle upon Tyne
Bradford
Parts of Salford are also very built-up, making pockets of the city noisy – especially in the concentrated centre where traffic, construction, nightlife and commercial activity get loud.
And of course, like any growing city, construction noises have been noted as ‘particularly bothersome’ for residents where major developments are springing up.
Manchester is third on the list of noisiest cities, due to many of the same reasons as Salford.
But the difference being that Mancunians are noted as one of the many reasons why the city is so loud – with residents making 5,301 noise complaints across Manchester between January 2024 and January 2025, and Hulme identified the loudest area with 304 complaints.
As well all know, Manchester is also home to many universities, which brings an active nightlife scene to the region, especially in the city centre, and in recent FOI data, it was revealed that the University of Manchester saw 2,049 noise complaints in the last five years.
Motorists warned of common winter driving habit that could land them with annoying fines
Emily Sergeant
With the temperatures drastically dropping now as we head into winter, motorists are being warned against a common driving habit.
On a wintry morning when the windscreens are frozen and your hands are equally as frozen too, it’s pretty common for drivers to start the engine, turn the heater right up, and remain stationary for several minutes to warm the car up before setting off on their journey… but did you know that doing this could see you, inadvertently, fall foul of the law?
That’s right – as ridiculous as it sounds, leaving your car engine running ‘unnecessarily’ while parked on a public road is illegal.
And to make matters worse, the rules on ‘engine idling’, as it’s known, apply regardless of whether the driver is using the heating, waiting for someone, or simply sitting in the vehicle.
Known as a stationary idling offence, Rule 123 of the Highway Code states that drivers must not leave a vehicle’s engine running unnecessarily while it is stationary on a public road, and according to the rule, a fixed penalty of up to £80 can be issued, right there and then.
Motorists are being warned of a common winter driving habit that could land them with annoying fines / Credit: PickPik | Wikimedia Commons
Fines will only be handed out if a motorist is stopped by a police officer who asks them to switch the engine off, and they fail to comply.
“However tempting it might be to sit in a vehicle with the engine running and the heater on to warm up, we strongly advice against it,” commented RAC senior policy officer Rod Dennis.
“As well as polluting the air and wasting fuel, drivers who leave their engines idling unnecessarily on a public road also risk an on-the-spot fine of £80. On cold mornings, the best approach is to clear any ice or snow properly and ensure windows are fully de-misted before setting off, then get on your way and let the car warm you up.”
There are some exceptions to the rule, however, as keeping the engine running is permitted in certain circumstances.
This includes when a vehicle is stationary because of traffic conditions, when the engine needs to run so a mechanical fault can be investigated, or if certain work is being carried out on the side of the road.
Emily Sergeant -
12th March 2021 
