iPhone Critical Alerts: SOS that sounds even on silent

What changes: SOS becomes a critical alert

In the current version of the app, SOS and SOS responses to a check-in are critical alerts on iPhone. Apple reserves this category for urgent health and safety information: a critical alert can override the Ring/Silent switch, scheduled summaries and Focus. To use it, an app needs a specific entitlement from Apple.

In practice, an SOS that used to arrive silently at night can now sound even if the recipient has Sleep or Do Not Disturb turned on. That matters for anyone whose circle includes an older parent or a relative who sleeps with the phone on silent, but it applies only on the recipient’s phone and only if that person has allowed it.

Two separate permissions: Notifications and Critical Alerts

iOS asks for two distinct permissions: one for regular notifications and one for Critical Alerts. You can keep the first on and the second off; in that case an SOS arrives like any other notification and follows the rules of silent mode and Focus. Anyone who tapped “Don’t Allow” when iOS asked can change their mind at any time in Settings.

The check must be done on every iPhone that should receive SOS alerts, not on the sender’s phone: whoever presses SOS cannot enable Critical Alerts remotely. Update the app first, because the feature is part of recent versions.

• Open Settings on the iPhone that receives SOS alerts.
• Tap Notifications, then My Safe Circle.
• Check that Allow Notifications is on.
• Turn on Critical Alerts. To turn them off, follow the same path and switch off the same toggle.

Which alerts break through silent mode and which do not

Critical Alerts cover SOS and SOS responses to a check-in, the cases in which someone reports needing help. All OK, invitations and other circle notifications remain regular notifications: on a silenced phone they do not sound, and in a Focus they follow the rules of the active mode.

The app’s other urgent notifications, for example “How are you?” requests that ask for help, are standard Time Sensitive notifications instead. They do not break through silent mode on their own: letting them through during a Focus needs a dedicated option, explained in the next section.

Time Sensitive notifications during Sleep and other Focus modes

Each Focus has its own list of allowed apps. For My Safe Circle’s urgent notifications to arrive there too, turn on Time Sensitive Notifications in that Focus.

Repeat the steps for every Focus: fixing Do Not Disturb does not change Sleep or Work. Apple explains that the option lets all apps send their time-sensitive notifications immediately, so discuss with the person whether they want that, or whether at night they prefer to receive only SOS alerts.

• Open Settings and tap Focus.
• Choose Sleep, Do Not Disturb or the mode you actually use.
• Tap Apps.
• Turn on Time Sensitive Notifications.

What a critical alert cannot do

A critical alert changes how the phone presents a notification, not the route that brings it there. If the iPhone is off, flat, without signal or in Airplane Mode, the SOS cannot sound until the notification arrives. The sender needs a connection too: the app saves the SOS after the countdown and retries as soon as possible, and the receipt shows when sending has actually completed.

Sound does not guarantee that anyone is awake, near the phone or able to act either. Keep a backup person and a second channel, such as a phone call. For the other layers to check, such as sounds, data and battery, follow the full iPhone notification check. If there is immediate danger, call the local emergency number straight away.

An announced test, in daytime

Pick a calm moment and tell every recipient beforehand: an unannounced test is a false alarm. The recipient turns on the mode they use at night, such as Sleep, and silences the phone. The sender sends an SOS with a message saying it is a test.

Write down separately what happened on each phone: did the notification appear, did it sound, did it open? Then repeat with a “How are you?” request to check Time Sensitive notifications. Run the test again after an iOS update or a new phone. To organise it calmly, see how to test SOS and All OK without panic.

The recipient decides: talk about it first

An SOS that sounds at three in the morning is exactly what you want in an emergency, but it is also a strong interruption. Explain to each person in the circle what turning on Critical Alerts means and leave the choice to them. Someone who does not want to be woken can keep them off; in that case they should not be the only contact for the night.

Write the agreement into your family plan: who receives SOS alerts at night with Critical Alerts on, who is the backup and what the first person to read it does. A clear agreement stops everyone waking up while nobody knows who should call.

Frequently asked questions