9 Smartphone Safety Features That May Come in Handy

What used to be little bricks with antennas have evolved into a smartphone. Today, it’s a productivity machine. Everything you need is in there—including health and safety features. Smartphones save you the effort to carry around health cards or engraved bracelets to contain information about us. They also put the radio and TV forecasts into one portable device.

Smartphone Features to Keep You Safe

Smartphones have become an essential item for people. They allow easy and instant communication through different media, may it be through text messages, calls, or social media. It’s also an entertainment gem, bringing users games, videos, and even TV shows. Today, people can shop with just a few taps on their phones in the comfort of their homes.

In addition to their endless uses, smartphones have built-in safety features. There is also a plethora of apps geared towards keeping smartphone users safe. These are precautions that the user can set up to come in handy in case of an emergency. They are also in place to protect the user’s health.

  1. Medical Information

When people rescue an unconscious person, they might not know anything about that person’s medical history. This could be risky because they could be using medication that can worsen the situation.

Jotting down medical information on your phone lets rescuers know about your existing medical conditions, blood type, and allergies. These will help them provide medical treatment safely even when you’re not available to inform them.

For Apple users, setting up a Medical ID is found in the Health app. It is one of the Apple features that is preinstalled and cannot be deleted. Once set up, the Medical ID will show in the Emergency Access feature on the lock screen.

For Android users, go to Settings > Users > Emergency Contact Information. Here, you’ll need to fill out personal information as well as add contacts. You can also add a message on the lock screen. Go to Settings, then click on Display > Advanced > Lock screen display > Lock screen message.

  1. Emergency Contact

In case of emergency, anyone should be able to ask for help on your behalf—even if it means using your phone. Smartphones have included a keypad on the lock screen. Here, anyone can use your phone to call an emergency hotline or your emergency contacts without unlocking your phone. Emergency contacts can be the local rescue hotline, family members, close friends and relatives, spouses, etc.

  1. Call for Help

In dire situations, opening and unlocking the phone may be impossible. To quickly ask for help, smartphones have integrated gestures that will launch an Emergency SOS command. The following are steps for both Android and iPhones:

  • Samsung Galaxy: Press the power button three times. This will immediately send your location, pictures, or an audio recording to emergency contacts.
  • iPhone 8 or later: Press and hold the lock button and one volume button. Wait for the Emergency SOS screen to appear. Swipe the Emergency SOS slider.
  • iPhone 7 or earlier: Rapidly press the top or side button several times until the Emergency SOS screen appears. Swipe the Emergency SOS slider.
  1. Global Positioning System (GPS)

GPS is essential to many of your phone’s safety features, serving as the basis of traffic reports and directions and a guide for weather updates. Most importantly, it helps emergency contacts locate a person in trouble.

For the GPS feature to be activated in the phone, users should turn on their location services. The toggle is usually found in the settings of the phone. An easier option would be to ask Siri or Google Assistant to do it for you.

  1. Traffic Report

A report found that a commuter in the United States spends 54 extra hours on traffic delays in a year—emphasis on “extra.” This means that all these 54 hours were spent waiting on congested traffic, sans the smooth-sailing rides.

The traffic report feature helps tone this down a bit. Apps nowadays show the highly congested traffic areas within the route of a driver. Drivers can save time by knowing which areas to avoid and how to avoid them.

Because using the phone while driving is unsafe, drivers can mount their phones on the dashboard. They can also use GPS apps that have built-in voice features.

  1. Weather Warnings

Being prepared starts with awareness. Keeping you aware is the forte of weather warnings. This safety feature allows you to get ready for calamities, so you’ll have ample time to pack and apply protective measures. It also informs you of the distance you’ll be from the center of the calamity. No matter the gravity of the situation, preparing yourself for the weather might be a “better safe than sorry” situation.

  1. Keylock Code

Today, digital data contains so much personal information. Adding a passcode to your phone prevents snoopers and thieves from accessing anything inside your phone. A passcode keeps your photos, social media accounts, applications, and other communications private.

More recent phones also have alternative modes of locking the phone. The most common ones are fingerprint sensors and facial recognition.

  1. Backup Data

Because digital data is precious, losing it can be a massive headache. Consider preserving your information, files, pictures, settings, and the like by setting up backup storage. This keeps your files in a separate cloud account that is easily retrievable from one device to another. It is also a safekeeping feature, as cloud storage needs your account login information to access.

  1. Screen Limitation for Kids

Kids are growing up in a technological world. This means they, too, are not safe from overexposure to screens. Limiting screen time for kids is a health measure to protect their eyes. It also prevents kids from being too attached to their screens.

For parents, it’s a way to monitor their kids’ virtual activity. Since the internet is too vast, kids could be exposed to too much too soon.

There are screen limitation apps available in the App Store and Play Store, designed to help kids and parents alike.

Takeaway

Smartphones contain a wide range of safety features. Knowing the weather and the state of traffic is helpful for everyday life. Because it carries so much personal information, it’s only appropriate that users can lock their devices with strangers. Even then, rescuers can still access important information about the user in times of need. Additionally, calling for help quickly provides a sense of comfort and security with a tiny device. Parents can also protect their children from eye problems and the dangers of the internet by familiarizing themselves with smartphone safety features.

 

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