Best Phones with an Emergency SOS Button in Australia: Simple Buying Guide

For many families, the appeal of an SOS button is simple. If an older parent has a fall or feels unwell, they can press one button and the right people know straight away. Some phones have a dedicated button built for exactly this. Others, including most iPhones and Android phones, have an emergency feature hidden in the side button that does much the same thing once you know it is there. For a wider view of the choices, see our guide to the best smartphone for seniors in Australia.

This guide explains the options in Australia, how each one actually works, and the one important thing an SOS phone does not do. We do not quote exact prices, since they change. We point you to where to check.

How the main options compare

What they want	Better fit
A real button to press that alerts the family with their location	Doro phone with the assistance button
A full smartphone they already like, with SOS as a backup	iPhone or Samsung, with Emergency SOS turned on
To call for help when out of phone coverage	A recent iPhone with Emergency SOS via satellite
A guaranteed answer from a monitoring centre, day or night	A monitored medical alarm, not a phone

How an SOS button on a phone works

It helps to know what actually happens when the button is pressed, because it is not the same on every phone.

A dedicated assistance button

On a Doro phone, there is a separate button on the back of the handset. Hold it down, and the phone sends an alert, along with the person’s location, to a list of up to five trusted contacts you set up in advance. The first person to answer is connected to a hands-free call automatically. It is simple, deliberate, and hard to set off by accident.

The Emergency SOS built into smartphones

Most iPhones and Android phones already have an emergency feature, usually triggered by pressing the side button several times in a row, or holding the side and volume buttons together. It calls Triple Zero (000), and after the call it can text your chosen emergency contacts to tell them you have called for help and where you are. It is free and already on the phone. The catch is that people often do not know it exists, so it is worth setting up and practising once.

SOS when there is no coverage

Recent iPhones, from the iPhone 14 onwards, add Emergency SOS via satellite. If the person is somewhere with no mobile coverage, somewhere remote like a country road or out on a bushwalk, the phone can still reach Triple Zero by connecting to a satellite overhead. Apple has confirmed this works in Australia. It needs a clear view of the sky, and it is a genuine reassurance for anyone who gets out and about beyond the towns.

The free Emergency+ app

Worth adding to any smartphone in Australia is Emergency+, a free app built by the country’s emergency services. It puts the Triple Zero (000) call button front and centre, and uses the phone’s GPS and what3words to show the caller’s exact location, which the call-taker can use to send help to the right place. For an older person who may struggle to describe where they are, especially away from home, it is a simple, reassuring thing to install and pin to the home screen.

The most important thing to understand

An SOS phone alerts your family, or calls Triple Zero directly. That is genuinely useful. But it is not the same as a monitored medical alarm, where pressing the pendant connects to a staffed centre that answers every time, day or night, and sends help even if no family member is available. If the goal is a guaranteed response for someone living alone, a monitored alarm is the right choice, and a phone is a helpful extra rather than a replacement. Our guides on choosing a medical alarm and the difference between monitored and unmonitored alarms walk through this calmly.

The best phones with an SOS button

Doro, for a real, dedicated button

If you want an actual button the person can press without unlocking or navigating anything, Doro is the answer. The assistance button sits on the back of the phone, set up to alert the family with the person’s location. Doro makes both easy smartphones and simple button phones with this feature, so it suits someone who wants very little fuss. In Australia they are sold online, through Doro Australia (doroaustralia.com.au) and retailers like Amazon Australia.

May suit someone who

Wants one clear, physical button for emergencies, and a simple phone the family can set up for them.

Things to check

Make sure the contacts are set up and tested, so the button actually reaches someone. Confirm the model is a current 4G phone. Check the return policy with the online seller.

Plain-English verdict

The best phone for a true one-press SOS button. Just remember it alerts your family, not a monitoring centre.

iPhone, with Emergency SOS and satellite

If the person already has or wants an iPhone, the Emergency SOS feature is excellent and free. Press the side and volume buttons together to call Triple Zero and alert contacts, and on a recent model, reach Triple Zero by satellite when there is no coverage. Setting up Medical ID is the natural partner to this, so responders can see key health details and call the family. It is sold at Officeworks, JB Hi-Fi, Harvey Norman and the telcos.

May suit someone who

Wants a full smartphone with a strong built-in emergency feature, and perhaps gets out beyond mobile coverage.

Things to check

Set up Emergency SOS and Medical ID, then practise it once together so it is familiar. Our guide on emergency contacts on iPhone shows how.

Plain-English verdict

The best all-round phone if you want a capable smartphone with a serious emergency feature, including the satellite backup outdoors.

Samsung and other Android phones

Samsung Galaxy phones, and Android phones generally, have their own Emergency SOS feature. Pressing the side button several times quickly can call Triple Zero and send an alert with location to chosen contacts. It works much like the iPhone version and is free and built in. Set it up under the phone’s safety or emergency settings. A Galaxy A-series is the affordable way in, covered in our budget phones guide.

May suit someone who

Prefers Android or a lower price, and wants the emergency feature set up as a backup.

Things to check

Find the Emergency SOS setting and turn it on, add contacts, and set up emergency contacts so help can reach the family. Our emergency contacts on Android guide covers it.

Plain-English verdict

A solid, free emergency feature on a phone many people already own. Worth turning on whether or not SOS was the reason you bought it.

What about a smartwatch?

A smartwatch is worth a thought here, because some can detect a hard fall and call for help on their own, which a phone in another room cannot do. It sits on the wrist, so it is always with the person. If fall detection is the real concern, our guide to the best smartwatches for seniors is the place to look next.

Setting up an SOS phone properly

• Add the emergency contacts and, on a Doro, the assistance button list.
• Turn on Emergency SOS and set up Medical ID on a smartphone.
• Send a test alert so everyone knows what the message looks like.
• Practise pressing the button together, calmly, so it feels familiar.

Best overall for an SOS button

For a real, dedicated button, a Doro phone is the simplest and clearest. For a capable smartphone with a strong emergency feature, an iPhone with Emergency SOS, and the satellite option for those who get out and about, is the best all-rounder, with a Samsung Galaxy the more affordable choice. Whichever you pick, if guaranteed round-the-clock response is the real need, pair it with a monitored medical alarm rather than relying on the phone alone.

Next steps

To set up the emergency features properly, see our guides on emergency contacts on iPhone and emergency contacts on Android. If a guaranteed response matters, read our medical alarms buying guide. And if you are still choosing a phone, start with how to choose a phone for an older parent. All of our phone advice is on the phones for seniors hub.