On the other end of the SOS contact

testing SOS will summon the police. So not a good idea to test

Here's how it works

When you make a call with SOS, your iPhone automatically calls the local emergency number. In some countries and regions, you might need to choose the service that you need. For example, in China mainland you can choose police, fire, or ambulance. 

You can also add emergency contacts. After an emergency call ends, your iPhone alerts your emergency contacts with a text message, unless you choose to cancel. Your iPhone sends them your current location, and, for a period of time after you enter SOS mode, it sends updates to your emergency contacts when your location changes. 

https://support.apple.com/en-ca/HT208076

It should show the location of the person sending the SOS and indicate it is an SOS. I suggestion have a friend send you an SOS so that you can see what it will look like.

I believe it’s by text and if your moms location moves, it’s monitored by GPS and will update you,

Ok you don't have to be so bossy.

We’ve provided the info above. You will receive a text Dont know any more than that on exactly what it will say . I’d imagine it starts off with “your mother has inititiated an SOS Alert”.

This will mean emergency personell have been summoned. Your mother, if she was able to speak would have talked to a 911 operator to say whether she needed fire, ambulance or police.

Just make sure you have text notifications turned on. It will only appear on lock screen if you have that set up.

it might be a text from your mothers number. The article doesn’t say.

Here is how it works.....https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT206983

Contact support 

https://getsupport.apple.com/

and they probably won’t know either, since they will use the same resources as us.

We answer questions based on user experience (this service is not widely used to know) and by putting some effort into looking it up online for you... to save you time and you don’t even say thank you for trying.

Your question on if it was a call or text was answered. Then you want to know what it says.

We are more than happy to test things out to give better answers but we cannot obviously prank call 911.

You realize this is a user-to-user technical support forum. Many of us have never seen the emergency text notification, so we are answering based on what we read on the internet.

Applewatchcontact wrote:

Then how can I reach someone who CAN answer my question?

You have 3 obvious options

1. Wait until someone who has received a real notification sees this thread and decides to explain the experience.
2. Test call the emergency number with a faked fall detection from a Watch Series 4, and risk the anger of the dispatchers
3. Find contact information for Apple’s developer responsible for programming the function, and ask the question. Nobody here is likely to have that contact information, they are even less likely to share private information, and if anyone did share it here the post would be removed as soon as moderators became aware of it.

Given the abrasive tone of your response quoted above I can guess which method you will choose.