Personal safety app

A personal safety app or SOS app is a mobile application which can be used to aid personal safety. Such apps received increased prominence in the media after the 2012 Delhi gang rape case[1] and consequent protests against "brutal rapes, molestation and mistreatment of women".[2] Technology, including social and mobile tools, is playing an important role in improving overall personal safety. These apps aim to keep users safe with technology enabled features like GPS, SMS, video, alerts, alarms, and more. They can alert others that you need help, even if you're unable to send an SOS yourself.

Need

Personal safety is a personal responsibility of every individual and should be taken very seriously. By encouraging safety awareness, highlighting the importance of safety and informing about safety risks can help to minimise accidents, incidents and near misses.

Features

Most of these apps are free while few have paid premium features too. The apps include various features, including sending text messages, e-mails, IMs, or even Tweets[3] to close friends (containing approximate location,[1] audio snippets and pictures[3]) or emitting a loud intermittent "shrill whistle" in the manner of a rape alarm.[1] Additional features include geofencing and preventive alerts.[3] Some apps allow to customize the alert message sent and the ringtone that signals the reception of a new alert.

They normally include different triggering mechanisms to cope with different emergency situations.[3] Common triggering mechanisms include pressing and holding the phone's switch button for a few seconds, shaking the phone vigorously, tapping on an alert button, and even loud screaming sound which the app can detect.[4] When the alert signal is triggered, these apps automatically go to work, sending text messages and emails with exact location of the user to emergency contacts listed on the app.

Feature comparison between some personal safety apps
Features CrowdGuard - deine Notruf App SmartWatcher Musketeer Guardian Safety App Citizen COP bSafe - Personal Safety Alarm React Mobile - Personal Safety App EmergenSee Personal Safety App PanicGuard
Free for all
SOS
Video or Call recording, activation with SOS
SafeZone
Police Phone Directory
Emergency Help
(Police, Ambulance, ATM)
Police Notifications
Stolen Vehicle Check
Wearables supported
Hands-free alarm
Location-based crime reporting
Share your Location
Close Group Location Tracking
Integrated Social Media
Collects Evidence

Reception

Clinical research associate[1] at BGS Global Hospital, Denet Pradeep, was of the opinion in early 2013 that such apps are ineffective without modification.[1]

One Indian media professional noted the vague location information and the sometimes convoluted functionality, saying "You'd rather run away than [scroll to and] activate [the app]."[1] She suggested that developers incorporate functionality which doesn't rely on the internet, because of the poor 3G connectivity in India in 2012.[1]

List of personal safety apps

Title Platform
Windows Phone Android BlackBerry iOS Apple Watch Android Wear
BeeSafe[5]
bSafe[4][6][7][8][9][10]
CircleOf6[4][7]
CrowdGuard - deine Notruf App[11]
EmergenSee[12]
Guardly[4]
React Mobile
ICE Mumbai Police[6]
LifeLine Response[13]
Musketeer - Help anywhere, anytime[14]
PanicGuard - SafetyFast [15][16]
SmartWatcher - Help is on hand [17]
StaySafe Personal
Bmonitored

References

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 10/20/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.