How to clear an Emergency Contact Notification process

I accidentally hit the Emergency SOS call (by allowing the sides of my structured purse to squeeze both sides of the phone, thereby hitting the two side buttons simultaneously) and triggered the Emergency Response. The 911 Center Response was canceled. The three Emergency Contacts have been notified and each has telephoned me. BUT -- I am still unable to clear the screen of "Your Emergency Contacts Have Been Notified" and cannot shut off the phone. How do I clear this so I can use the phone again?

iPhone 15 Pro, iOS 18

Posted on Dec 29, 2025 8:37 AM

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Dec 29, 2025 10:55 AM

Hello,

This should do it:

  1. Press and quickly release the volume up button.
  2. Press and quickly release the volume down button.
  3. Press and hold the side button until you see the Apple logo (could be as long as 30 seconds) 

The timing is a little critical, you may have to try it several times. See this for more detail:

If your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch won‘t turn on or is frozen

Good luck.

1 reply
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Dec 29, 2025 10:55 AM in response to katherine from mclean

Hello,

This should do it:

  1. Press and quickly release the volume up button.
  2. Press and quickly release the volume down button.
  3. Press and hold the side button until you see the Apple logo (could be as long as 30 seconds) 

The timing is a little critical, you may have to try it several times. See this for more detail:

If your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch won‘t turn on or is frozen

Good luck.

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How to clear an Emergency Contact Notification process

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