Emergency Contact Keychain: Set It Up

Two minutes, one free app, and your keychain is ready.

Inside this keychain is a tiny NFC chip, the same kind of tap-to-read chip in a tap-to-pay card. Once you set it up, anyone who finds your child (or you) can hold their phone to the keychain and their phone will offer to call your emergency contact. No app needed on their end. Here's how to load your number onto it.

What you need

  • The keychain
  • Your phone (iPhone XS or newer, or any Android phone with NFC)
  • The free NFC Tools app: App Store · Google Play
  • The phone number you want called in an emergency

Set it up

  1. Install NFC Tools from the link above and open it. Android only: make sure NFC is turned on (Settings → Connections or Connected devices → NFC).
  2. Tap the Write tab at the bottom.
  3. Tap Add a record, then choose Phone number.
  4. Type the emergency contact's number, including area code (for example 724-555-0123), and tap OK.
  5. Tap the big Write button. The app will say "Approach an NFC tag."
  6. Hold the keychain against the back of your phone. On an iPhone the chip reader is at the very top of the back, near the camera. On most Androids it's the middle of the back. Hold still for a second or two until the app says Write complete.
  7. Test it. Close the app, wake your phone, and hold the keychain to the same spot. A banner should pop up offering to call the number. Tap it once to be sure it dials, then hang up. If it works for you, it will work for whoever finds it.

How someone uses it in an emergency

They wake their phone, hold the top of it against the keychain, and tap the "Call" banner that appears. That's it. It works on iPhones and Androids made in the last several years without installing anything. The keychain has no battery and nothing to charge; the chip is powered by the phone that reads it.

Good to know

  • Changing the number: repeat the steps above with the new number. Writing a new number replaces the old one. Nothing to erase first.
  • One number per keychain. Pick the person most likely to answer. If you want two contacts, the second one's name and number can be engraved on the back; ask me.
  • Don't "lock" the tag. NFC Tools has a lock option under Other. Locking is permanent and you'd never be able to change the number, so leave it alone.
  • Phone didn't react? Make sure the phone is awake and unlocked, NFC is on (Android), the camera isn't open, and you're holding the right part of the phone to the chip. Cases thicker than a credit card can block the read; try without the case once to be sure it's not that.
  • Water and drops are fine. The chip is sealed inside the keychain. Wipe it clean with a damp cloth; don't soak it.

Stuck?

Text me a photo of what your screen shows and I'll walk you through it. You can also bring it by the booth or the studio and I'll load it for you in about thirty seconds. Contact Courtney.

Mama Shark with Laser Beams · Butler, PA · mamasharkwithlaserbeams.com