(NBC NEWS) Most of us use the lock screens on phones to keep out the bad guys but what if it's the good guys who need vital information to save your life?
Turns out, that information can be easily accessed on your smartphone.
On iPhones, it's right there in the bottom left-hand corner of the locked screen....the word 'emergency'.
Tap on it and a keypad pops up for a quick call to, say, 911.
Or, if you're unconscious, someone else like a paramedic can tap on "medical id" below the keypad and up pops info on yourself that could prove crucial."
It's a standard app on iPhones, where you input whatever info you deem important like your name, the person to call in case of emergency, your height, weight and, most importantly medical conditions.
"If you have epilepsy, we want to know that. If you have preexisting heart condition, if you have strokes, if you are diabetic, all of those major medical situations, which could actually determine the outcome of why you're having the medical emergency in the first place," said paramedic Tony Patillo.
Certain Android phones come with similar apps or there are plenty online to choose from but the advice is: do it now.
On most smartphones, there's a feature or an app that emergency personnel really wish you would use.
