Medical ID on iPhone: add a note about your pet

Add a note about your pet to Medical ID. A first responder can then read it on your locked iPhone.

Last reviewed:

A man sets up his phone on the sofa while a cat sleeps beside him.

Medical ID in the Health app holds allergies, medical conditions and emergency contacts. A note about your pet is usually missing. It can decide whether anyone learns that a dog or cat is waiting alone at home.

Setting it up takes two minutes. The steps come from Apple’s guide: Set up and view your Medical ID. Checked in October 2026.

Set up Medical ID, step by step

  1. Open Health

    Open the Health app on your iPhone.

  2. Open Medical ID

    Tap your picture, then tap Medical ID.

  3. Edit

    Tap Get Started or, if you already have a Medical ID, Edit.

  4. Add the note about your pet

    Paste the text from the box below into a free text field, such as Medical Notes. Replace names and numbers with your own.

  5. Add a helper as an emergency contact

    Below Emergency Contacts, tap Add Emergency Contact and choose one of your helpers.

  6. Allow access on the Lock Screen

    Scroll to the bottom and turn on Show When Locked. Otherwise a first responder cannot see your Medical ID while the iPhone is locked.

  7. Finish

    Tap Done.

Tip from Apple: touch and hold the Health app icon on the Home Screen, then choose Medical ID. That opens it fast.

A text about your pet to copy

Adjust the text and copy it. The names and numbers are placeholders.

PawSafe writes this text for you, with your pet’s name and your helpers’ numbers. You only paste it into Medical ID.

How a finder opens Medical ID

According to Apple, this works on a locked iPhone when Show When Locked is on:

  1. Swipe up from the Lock Screen or press the Home button, depending on the iPhone model.
  2. Tap Emergency on the passcode screen.
  3. Tap Medical ID.

Sharing your Medical ID automatically with emergency services during an emergency call (the Emergency Call switch) works only in the U.S. and Canada, says Apple. Elsewhere, a first responder reads it on the iPhone itself.

What belongs in the text

  • That your pet is home alone, and which pet.
  • Your helpers’ numbers in calling order.
  • One line about the key, such as “My helpers have a key.”
  • No address and no codes. A PawSafe helper sees both only in an emergency.

Common questions

Can anyone read my Medical ID?

With Show When Locked turned on, anyone holding your locked iPhone can open it. So leave out your address and any access codes. Your pet’s name, your helpers’ numbers and a line about the key are enough.

How long should the text be?

Keep it short. Whoever helps you reads it on a small screen under time pressure. Two or three sentences are enough.

Is Medical ID enough, or do I also need an emergency card?

They work together. Medical ID lives on the iPhone, the card in your wallet. If the iPhone is dead or not with you, the card helps.

What does PawSafe do here?

PawSafe writes the text with your details and gives it to you to paste into Medical ID. On top of that comes the timer: if you don’t check in, PawSafe alerts your helpers, even when nobody finds you.

Keep reading

Source: Apple Support, Set up and view your Medical ID (iPhone User Guide).

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