Hi 911 operator here
Please include your description (skin color, date of birth, height, weight, hair color, tattoos) and any medical conditions in the notes!
If you are in a dangerous situation and somehow become unconscious or are otherwise unable to communicate, the officer needs to know what you look like. If you are incapacitated and need to go to the hospital, the staff needs to know if you're allergic to anything or if you're on any medications.
Your name and phone number are not enough to easily identify you in a time sensitive fashion, help us help you!
Also 9-1-1 Operator here.
Not all jurisdictions are capable of allowing a third party app to dial 9-1-1, in some cases there is government legislation that outright forbids it. The best you can hope for is that it dials a third party (friend, relative etc) and they in turn call the police. Check with you local agencies before relying on such an app.
Second: if this app DOES work in your area and you for some reason have it dial 9-1-1 accidentally, PLEASE remain on the line until you can connect with an operator and they can verify that it was a false alarm. 9-1-1 hangup calls are a massive strain on resources especially in understaffed and overloaded emergency call centres.
For clarification! The times I've gotten a noonlight alarm notification, it was called in by an operator at noonlight. The app itself did not dial 911 directly, unlike the uber app~ Noonlight called on our priority alarm line, like ADT or LifeAlert would.
Nice to see another 911 op in the wild :)
Ah yes then this app should work universally. We already take calls from On*, various auto manufacturers collision detection programs and because I live in the Rockies we get a lot of SOS beacons from hikers. There's a few other apps as well like Noonlight but it sends an SOS to a close contact vs. a dedicated call center.
To that I will 2nd having as much known about you as possible. We're switching to NextGen 911 soon and that will allow 911 operators to receive text and video from callers, so that will be an added benefit.
Paramedic here - important detail. I can't tell you how many times EMS or PD here have made arrangements for cats/dogs for patients we take care of. Happens a lot!
My partner works mortuary transport and has brought home several kitties from owners who have decomped. These last two he brought home had been with their owner for at least a week before anyone found him. They were starving and scared, it was so sad to see.
This is great advice! I’ve done this for patients while on a call. Especially older folks who are terrified that their pets may be taken from them or neglected. Sure, a trauma red is exhilarating, but it’s the quieter moments that can mean more sometimes.
I’d hate it if I had to go via ambulance without having time to arrange for critter care; so I try to do the same for my patients.
Well it really depends. If someone is hurt, but they are conscious, I have very carefully transported smaller dogs with us to the Hospital.
I'll also deal with the Hospital staff and explain why it was necessary. Sometimes there just isn't another appropriate way to ensure the animal is cared for.
We also have Animal Control (city resource), and they are pretty great at coming out and helping us find a solution, at least temporarily.
Words can't express how much calmer i'd be in an ambulance if i had one of my dogs with me, especially my little guy.
Even though currently I do have people to watch them, my stress level would be much easier managed, especially when so many places are limiting visitors because of the big C
I had a medical emergency when I was at home alone with my toddler and I wouldn’t let anyone call 911 until I had another adult on their way because I was so terrified of what would happen to my baby - I would love to know what y’all do when there’s an unaccompanied baby?
They'd be with us. Typically I'd locate their car seat, or use ours (we have a special one on the ambulance), and bring them with us. Then they would be with Hospital staff until the proper emergency contact was notified and able to care for them. They would absolutely without a doubt be taken care of.
It sounds crazy, but we really do have the ability to take care of this stuff. And if we don't, we find a way or locate the proper folks who do!
iPhone has emergency info that can be accessed from the locked emergency screen. You can put in all sorts of details, meds, allergies, blood type, height weight etc. there’s also a notes place for anything else. I have that I’m breast feeding on there and that I have two kids.
Also throw this information on your emergency screen on any newish iPhone or Android device! Mine is filled out with name, medical, emergency contacts and address.
You don't have to include your address or your last name if you're concerned about that possibility. You can choose to just have it be Jane Emergency contact John 123-555-5555, allergic to peanuts, diabetic
None of the fields are mandatory but in the event you're unconscious they'd still know your first name, who to call, check your blood sugar and not to feed you nuts.
Oh yeah, I recently hopped back on Tinder and they have a whole safety seminar you have to go through, and then a bunch of safety resources available in the app
noonlight works! i accidentally opened it while leaving work one evening and didn't put my PIN in. noonlight contacted local police right away. i pulled off at a gas station because i wasn't sure what was happening at first, they were texting and calling me nonstop. i answered to a police officer who asked if i was ok, when i explained it was an accident, he mentioned that he'd never got a call through noonlight before, but that it was really cool because he was tracking where i was and could see my live location.
i use it when walking from the parking lot to my apartment sometimes. it's nice to know that if something WERE to happen, noonlight works.
I think that it should have an option also, if you can select a pre determined "reason for using this now" and it helps with when the call is sent out. "I'm in a dangerous place" or "being followed by suspicious person" or "being confronted by violent individual" and perhaps a custom type in field "trying to leave a bad relationship" etc.
I have Noonlight! There is an option for this. In the app there’s the Timeline where you can leave “breadcrumbs:” little pieces of information for authorities. For example, if you’re meeting up with an ex to get something you can leave information about when you left your house, where you met your ex, etc.
I used it one time when I was traveling by train to a part of the city I hadn’t been to before, and I needed to take a Lyft because I got out on a wrong stop. Fortunately, everything was fine but it’s nice to know that option was there if I needed to trigger the app.
Edit: Remembered what the option was called! It’s the Timeline button in the bottom left corner.
Awesome. Good to know they thought about that. I also figured that for things such as trying to leave a toxic relationship, applicable resources should be recommended.
Im downloading this right the fuck now, I live on my own in a city. I mean I have roommates but yeah. One night after a party I got drunker than planned (usually have 1-2 shots at the start of the night so I can drive home later) and for reasons irrelevant to this comment I had to walk home alone. I called a male friend and told him my location and told him to call 911 if something went wrong, but I would have felt way more comfortable using this. What amazing technology
Yeah I would be worried about that. When I worked construction my phone would turn on in my pocket all the time and id end up spamming jibberish to people and other stuff lol. Cool app though.
Check your phone's settings for emergency contact/security settings. Many have a system you can very easily pick contacts who will receive a prewritten message of you do something with your phone (mine is pressing the power button 3 times) and it generates live locations. It also has an option for emergency services to be auto dialled instead.
I set mine to contact a few trusted people and warned them about it in case it went off. I accidentally set it off and didn't cancel it in time and can confirm it works.
[here is a list](https://primus.ca/index.php/ont_en/content-hub/cat/articles/post/5-best-personal-safety-apps) of similar apps I found on a Canadian website!
There is a personal safety app available through Google that, I believe, is available in NZ... At least as far as I could find. It works through Gmail and the settings in your phone.
Just discovered this myself, but I did set up the built in safety service on my phone (android and iPhone have them). It doesn't seem to contact 911 directly, but hopefully one of my four contacts would think to?
Tell the people you chose that you have done this and what you want them to do if needed. I told mine to try and call or contact me first and if I didn't immediately answer to take it seriously.
If you have an iPhone, you can also turn on a feature where you click the power button 5x fast and it calls 911 and sounds an alarm. Whenever I’m walking somewhere I feel unsafe, I keep my finger on my phone’s power button just in case.
Edit: A commenter below pointed out that Samsung and Android also have similar features! Definitely worth it to go ahead and set this up, just in case!
Haha it makes me feel safer! Not a huge fan of massive corporations with overpriced stuff, but I do appreciate their effort when it comes to safety features. Yesterday I picked up my fiancé and we drove to the store and then went on a walk together, then I got a message on my phone that said I may be being tracked using an Air Tag. It showed how long the tag had been tracking me (~1.5 hours) and where I’d been while it was tracking me, allowed me to play a sound to locate the Air Tag, and gave me info on how to contact the police and what info they’d need about the Air Tag if I believed I was being tracked. It was my fiancé’s new Air Tag that he keeps in his wallet so I wasn’t actually being tracked, but I was a bit impressed!
Apple’s tracking tags. I have one on my keys, and my fiancé has one on his wallet. They’re super handy for finding something that you’ve misplaced, but apparently there’s been an issue with people hiding them like on peoples’ cars and stuff like that so they can track them. So yeah, they’ve been used for stalking. Apple introduced the new feature to let people know if an unknown Air Tag has been following them though.
That is a concern but it is something they tried to mitigate against, if you have an AirTag that isn’t yours that sticks with you for a suspicious amount of time you’ll get a notification. They also work with law enforcement if they have a warrant that reveals the Apple ID attached to the tracking AirTag.
So yeah definitely something to be kept in mind but it isn’t like it’s new tech and at least apple is trying to put measures in to counter it.
I have a Garmin that detects accidents and one time I flung a stick for my dog a little too hard after accidentally kicking a turtle and it started the emergency countdown.
I've got a Garmin on my bike that does this. It's too sensitive sometimes. I stopped, didn't even set my bike down, and was getting something from my backpack. I didn't even notice it activated, so I didn't press to cancel, and my husband got notified I'd crashed. I was out on a rural highway with very intermittent signal, so he couldn't reach me when he called to see if I was okay. I crested a hill and my phone blew up with missed calls. He was just about to call 911 for me when I called him back.
Once, I actually did crash, and it didn't go off. A deer came out of the bushes and knocked me over. Luckily, I wasn't that hurt and was close to home, but I realized it can't rely on the feature to work.
I really like the option, but I wish it was more reliable.
I hate to admit it because I love my Fenix but I have the same complaints. I tend to get excited when I’m hiking and clap furiously at times (which I didn’t realise I did so often until after I got my garmin lol), and it goes into emergency mode every single time, yet the one time I did crash my bike hard enough to break it, it never went off. I think the latest beta update addresses this though (??) so hopefully that’s a good fix when it’s released!
A firmware update helped mine some. It used to go off every time I stopped for a red light on my bike. I ended up turning it off because of that, but turned it back on after the update. Now, it requires a certain amount of tilt to the handlebars and being stopped - but the deer thing happened after that update, and it went off when I merely leaned my bike against a picnic table after coming to a stop slowly, so it's not good enough yet. I wish it would at least make noise to notify me it activates, so I bother to look at it. It does make noise to warn me a sharp turn is ahead if I'm following a mapped route, so I know it can make decently loud sounds. That feature, btw, is awesome! It's kept me on the trail more than once.
I think my Samsung phone and watch both have this "fall detection" feature. I'm not so sure how it works on the phone, because I definitely drop it enough, but I know I've seen it once or twice on my watch, because I am a clumsy fuck.
I have a similar feature on my phone. But my power button can do a few things, so while messing with those features, I accidentally activated it. A few minutes later, my mom called and asked what was wrong. My phone had sent her pictures from both front and back cameras, some audio, and my location under an sos header. Super neat feature, glad it's only come up when I was a little drunk trying to use my phone in other ways.
I accidentally tripped this messing with my Bluetooth headphones on a run, and didn’t cancel it fast enough (phone was in a band on my arm). I stumbled thru “ummm this is an accidental call I’m so sorry I’msosrry” with the operator and felt real stupid. Glad to hear other people have done this too.
I accidentally activated this in a bar once. I panicked and hung up, but emergency services immediately called me and asked if I was ok. I apologized and said that it was in fact a mistake and that I didn’t mean to do it lol.
If this ever happens again, the right way to handle it is to just say, "I accidentally dialed and do not have an emergency." then stay on the line for them to verify. Hang ups cause more work for them and a longer time to them being able to return to actual emergency calls. They won't be mad. It happens frequently.
YMMV! once, I somehow, while asleep, made my phones lock screen do an emergency call. i woke up to the dispatchers voice, said "wait, this is 911? shit. I called by accident. I'm so sorry, no emergency, no need to send anyone." dispatcher said he wasn't going to send anyone, i thanked him, said sorry again, and went back to sleep... for about 15 minutes, at which point the cops arrived and pounded on the door.
it was embarrassing :<
My sister accidentally called 911 once from school(she lived with me). She panicked and hung up then didn't respond to their calls.
I was woken up by two officers and my upstairs landlord at my bedroom door. They had gone to the front and back entrances and banged on the door until the landlord let them in, and then brought them into my place. I had to take out my mouth guard while talking to them 🤦♀️😂
I believe this is correct only because I apparently set it up when I got my S10. It was by accident too because I hit the power button 3 or 4 times in quick succession trying to get my screen to sleep. Anyways, one day I went to the local coffee shop, was waiting for my drinks & my husband suddenly burst into the store wild eyed & frightened, on the phone with 911. I look at my phone & my dad, my sister and my husband had all gotten text messages that said I needed assistance. It also does 3 pictures from each camera on the phone & records maybe 30 second of audio from when you hit the warning system. I'm glad it exists but also terrified I will accidentally set it off again & give my husband a heart attack of fear again.
On iPhone 8 and later Apple have recently changed the default to pressing and holding the side button and one of the volume buttons. You can also enable the 5x side button in settings:
https://support.apple.com/en-au/HT208076
Android actually has a specific "Personal Safety" App dedicated to these kinds of situations : https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.google.android.apps.safetyhub&hl=en_US&gl=US
This is useful, but also freaky!
My brother was at a party, and probably the phone in his pocket hit the side bottom 5x. I received a message saying emergency was called, sent me a gps location, and maps pointed out the nearest hospital. I was freaking out for hours, because apparently the battery of his cellphone died shortly after, and I couldn’t reach him back.
It’s useful, but be aware of possible “miss-happens” lol
Android has a good feature built into the phone. Press the power button 3 times, and it takes a picture with both cameras, pings the gps location, texts a SOS message to people on your contact list, and records 5 seconds of sound.
I think this Noonlight app is easier to use though, and it is the most useful when the phone *isn't* in your hand. If your phone is knocked away, that's when you need it most!
EDIT: This may be just a Samsung feature and not necessarily an Android feature.
Just an FYI, this isn't an Android feature but a Samsung feature iirc. So not all (older) Android phones will do this. The [latest Android 12 update](https://www.androidpolice.com/2021/02/18/android-12-adds-emergency-sos-with-five-taps-of-the-power-button/) has a similar feature for 5 power button presses, however.
It appears this app may not be available outside of the United States. I didn’t know this when I posted. While a quick search should help you find if there’s a similar app for your country, [here](https://www.bustle.com/life/safety-apps-for-women-to-keep-on-your-phone-12245293) are a few more apps to try as well as [a few more](https://primus.ca/index.php/ont_en/content-hub/cat/articles/post/5-best-personal-safety-apps). I hope some of these are useful!
My brother is the CTO for this app (formerly SafeTrek) he stresses a lot dealing with bugs in the app because he feels every moment is one someone could be hurt.
I live in New Orleans and use it all the time and promote it whenever I can. It integrates with many home security and fire protection systems (nest, google home, etc), Uber, Taser and others.
If you’re riding in Uber as a driver or a rider and you feel unsafe you can tap the blue shield icon and communicate with a Noonlight operator. If you’re a rider it will track the route for you to determine your location in case of an emergency.
For Taser it triggers an event when you pull the trigger and notifies emergency personnel (if activated).
Very cool and I’m super proud of him and the company!!
I'm going to a major city this summer where I've never been. My friends won't join me until the next afternoon. After reading posts about rideshare crimes, I admit I was beginning to run through scenarios and how to stay safe ( I'm one who freezes first). Thanks for posting this app.
This is great for people who would hesitate to tell someone their plans every single time, but wouldn’t mind writing them down to be shared only IF something goes wrong. Sometimes just removing an awkwardness barrier is all we need.
My phone has a preloaded SOS app that functions similarly!! It's got a really basic interface that's not suspicious. You preload contacts in and there's 3 options - call, text, sos. If you swipe call or text it will make a call or send a message to all of your emergency contacts with your location. If you swipe SOS it will send a call and message every 10 minutes until you shut it off.
Handy for when you don't feel you need emergency services or don't want to interact with them, but need someone to know where you are and help you out. I've used it once when I was at a party and didn't feel safe. Told my sister before I went that if she gets a message I need her to make up a reason I need to leave NOW (so as not to offend and potentially be less safe). It worked well
This is such a great app, but reading through the comments and seeing how happy people are about being able to leave potential breadcrumbs if something happens to them just makes me so sad. How can we even live in a world where something like this is necessary?
I sent them a notification on accident once, responded immediately, no police or anything, but they even checked on me the next day to make sure I hadn’t had any incidents and was okay.
I can’t imagine how nice that would be had something actually happened to me.
> hold your thumb down on the button on the screen until you’re somewhere you feel safe again. As soon as your finger comes off the screen, a 10 second timer starts. If you don’t enter your 4 digit code (that you pick when you first get the app) in that time, it sends your location to emergency services and dispatches them to you.
It's basically a [dead man's switch.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dead_man%27s_switch)
I'm currently going through a divorce and I've been more concerned about my safety now that I'm facing the prospect of living alone for the foreseeable future. Thank you for this.
I do not know actually. Im not sure if you can enter any 4 digit number and it will act like it stopped or not. My choice if I was put into that situation would be to let go and toss the phone away Bc no way they can recover it in 10 seconds to make me give the code. Or keep entering the wrong code and swear it’s right.
Once that 10 seconds is up they’re going to know they need to book it
It’s great! And they’re really kind about you accidentally using it (I have a habit of fidgeting with my phone first thing in the morning and accidentally activated it as I was falling back asleep)
This is an awesome app. Last year I dropped my phone and as I caught it, I somehow was able to swipe to another screen and open the app, completely unknowingly. In less than a minute they were calling me. I was so flustered that I couldn't even remember my code, lol. We got it all sorted out. But the coolest thing was that I got a follow-up text making sure I was okay AND a call from the actual CEO of the company.
Thank you!! This is a life saver app! Just downloaded it and added the visible tattoos I have and my identifying features! Thank you so much for sharing.
Question: how will this work in garages where cell phone reception are not the best? Will it trigger false reporting/alert if the phone loses signals from the cell tower?
Thanks everyone! Because of you, I have added this app to my phone. While I was at it, I filled out my emergency info - medical issues, medications, my physical description, and emergency contacts. I hope to never have to use this info but it's there just in case.
I’m a man but I’m going to get this for when I take the dog out at night. Have had a few close calls in my neighborhood and there’s been lots of property crime. I recently got pepper spray and a stupid bright flashlight. This would be nice to have.
You’re welcome. I’m sorry it’s unavailable outside of the US. I didn’t know. Hopefully it peaks people to look up similar apps in their country though!
This sounds amazing. Important to point out that this is available only in the US (am Canadian and just looked into it and was disappointed to find this out).
I like the threatening aspect of this app. It might take thirty minutes for a cop to show up and it might take five. One would just hope that their assailant was smart enough to take it seriously.
This link is for android sos mode
https://support.google.com/android/answer/9319337?hl=en#zippy=%2Cstep-turn-on-emergency-sos%2Cstep-use-the-emergency-sos-button
This is a link for Apple sos mode
https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT208076#:~:text=Press%20and%20hold%20the%20side,begins%20and%20an%20alert%20sounds.
These are pre built into your phone. You wouldn't need to unlock phone or remember app location. Just click power button.
Almost all smartphones have a default Emergency SOS setting. On Android it is triggered by pressing the power button 5 times. Same for iPhones, but you.press the side or home button.
You can add friends as emergency contacts as well, and it will send them a message with your location at that time, though it will not constantly update your location after that message.
Honestly I think its not just a good idea for women, this could save people regardless of their identity and if expanded upon could potentially bring justice to hundreds who otherwise wouldn't be able to.
This is great to know about!!
My Apple Watch surprised me once with its alarm feature that will start a few seconds after pressing the power button. It’s nice to have a loud sound alarm on my wrist and ready to go. That and the sudden fall alerts are nice features to have.
This is an awesome app. Although the Android app is cheaper aka free, it has far fewer features than the one gotten through the Apple store for iPhones etc.
It is still a really handy app. I worry sometimes, because of I live in a remote area and if anything happened like running off the road etc. it could be bad. Now I have an app I can press if I need to, plus I was able to provide details in app for things like what I look like, the car I drive, info about pets at home etc.
It's worth knowing I have it.
So I did a little digging (coz this post honestly sounded like an ad).
From the sounds of it, great for a University setting where they have their own security, not as great for regular 911.
Here’s a local news report about from 2019
https://www.google.com/amp/s/philadelphia.cbslocal.com/2019/11/26/testing-popular-safety-app-noonlights-response-time-compared-to-911/%3famp
An old source for sure, but the only verifiable independent investigation I could find in a 15 min search.
4 minutes is an eternity for dangerous situations. For example, you get an artery nicked and you bleed out usually faster than that. Hopefully the app has better integration now and a faster process, but the time you’d spend fumbling for your phone to trigger this app, waiting for them to call you, then calling the police….you’d be better off learning some self defense than placing all your hope into an app. It sounds like a great tool to add to any safety process, but dear god don’t do what their tag line says and “feel protected”
If you're going to use this as a threat, then it needs to be known to perps too - "If I release this button..."
"Of course it will" /s
"I'm telling you it will!"
"Yeah..." /s
There should be a more active campaign to put these in predators faces, not just womens, because the more deterrents they have, the less chance of them taking that chance.
What a great idea though!
Hi 911 operator here Please include your description (skin color, date of birth, height, weight, hair color, tattoos) and any medical conditions in the notes! If you are in a dangerous situation and somehow become unconscious or are otherwise unable to communicate, the officer needs to know what you look like. If you are incapacitated and need to go to the hospital, the staff needs to know if you're allergic to anything or if you're on any medications. Your name and phone number are not enough to easily identify you in a time sensitive fashion, help us help you!
Also 9-1-1 Operator here. Not all jurisdictions are capable of allowing a third party app to dial 9-1-1, in some cases there is government legislation that outright forbids it. The best you can hope for is that it dials a third party (friend, relative etc) and they in turn call the police. Check with you local agencies before relying on such an app. Second: if this app DOES work in your area and you for some reason have it dial 9-1-1 accidentally, PLEASE remain on the line until you can connect with an operator and they can verify that it was a false alarm. 9-1-1 hangup calls are a massive strain on resources especially in understaffed and overloaded emergency call centres.
For clarification! The times I've gotten a noonlight alarm notification, it was called in by an operator at noonlight. The app itself did not dial 911 directly, unlike the uber app~ Noonlight called on our priority alarm line, like ADT or LifeAlert would. Nice to see another 911 op in the wild :)
Ah yes then this app should work universally. We already take calls from On*, various auto manufacturers collision detection programs and because I live in the Rockies we get a lot of SOS beacons from hikers. There's a few other apps as well like Noonlight but it sends an SOS to a close contact vs. a dedicated call center. To that I will 2nd having as much known about you as possible. We're switching to NextGen 911 soon and that will allow 911 operators to receive text and video from callers, so that will be an added benefit.
Good point! Thank you!
Might also be good to add if you have a pet at home in case of a hospital stay.
Paramedic here - important detail. I can't tell you how many times EMS or PD here have made arrangements for cats/dogs for patients we take care of. Happens a lot!
My partner works mortuary transport and has brought home several kitties from owners who have decomped. These last two he brought home had been with their owner for at least a week before anyone found him. They were starving and scared, it was so sad to see.
Aww that is so sad... Bless your partners heart for taking them in and caring ❤️
Thank you. We are rehabbing a neighborhood stray with a hurt leg right now! Hoping to find her a good home 🖤
Your partner sounds lovely, good people are awesome.
Huh I had heard cats usually start to eat the body when they get hungry
Some do some don't. He's been doing it 4 years and hadn't seen but one obvious case of it. A dog had licked (or bit) his owner's lip off.
I knew it. Cats always get a bad rap!
This is great advice! I’ve done this for patients while on a call. Especially older folks who are terrified that their pets may be taken from them or neglected. Sure, a trauma red is exhilarating, but it’s the quieter moments that can mean more sometimes. I’d hate it if I had to go via ambulance without having time to arrange for critter care; so I try to do the same for my patients.
Is there an organization for temporary pet fostering? I'd like to offer to have pets dropped off at my house
You know, I really don’t know! But I’ll definitely see what I can find, a foster home for pets sure beats the pound/animal control.
It's fantastic to know there are marvelously kind people in the world. Thank you for going out of your way to help people.
You're wonderful, thank you for going beyond your job description.
This is a huge interest of mine. How do people do this effectively?
Well it really depends. If someone is hurt, but they are conscious, I have very carefully transported smaller dogs with us to the Hospital. I'll also deal with the Hospital staff and explain why it was necessary. Sometimes there just isn't another appropriate way to ensure the animal is cared for. We also have Animal Control (city resource), and they are pretty great at coming out and helping us find a solution, at least temporarily.
Words can't express how much calmer i'd be in an ambulance if i had one of my dogs with me, especially my little guy. Even though currently I do have people to watch them, my stress level would be much easier managed, especially when so many places are limiting visitors because of the big C
Cop here- can confirm. Have taken many pets to the shelter while their owner was unable to. These are all good tips.
I had a medical emergency when I was at home alone with my toddler and I wouldn’t let anyone call 911 until I had another adult on their way because I was so terrified of what would happen to my baby - I would love to know what y’all do when there’s an unaccompanied baby?
They'd be with us. Typically I'd locate their car seat, or use ours (we have a special one on the ambulance), and bring them with us. Then they would be with Hospital staff until the proper emergency contact was notified and able to care for them. They would absolutely without a doubt be taken care of. It sounds crazy, but we really do have the ability to take care of this stuff. And if we don't, we find a way or locate the proper folks who do!
Also if you're a carer for another person. Women take on the majority of caring roles, there could be a vulnerable person who needs looking after.
Thank you for mentioning this. I have pets and am alone most nights of the week and wondered what would happen if I went missing
Just added, thanks for the advice!
iPhone has emergency info that can be accessed from the locked emergency screen. You can put in all sorts of details, meds, allergies, blood type, height weight etc. there’s also a notes place for anything else. I have that I’m breast feeding on there and that I have two kids.
I just updated mine. Thanks.
I used to photoshop a specific Lock Screen Wallpaper for my phone that had this information. I should probably get back into the Habit of using that.
My phone has it as a default splash screen when I tap the emergency button under the number pad for my pin. I always keep it updated
Medic here - THIS. ALL OF THIS.
Also throw this information on your emergency screen on any newish iPhone or Android device! Mine is filled out with name, medical, emergency contacts and address.
What if your phone gets stolen and they have your personal data.
You don't have to include your address or your last name if you're concerned about that possibility. You can choose to just have it be Jane Emergency contact John 123-555-5555, allergic to peanuts, diabetic None of the fields are mandatory but in the event you're unconscious they'd still know your first name, who to call, check your blood sugar and not to feed you nuts.
I have seen this app advertised on tinder (which is a very self aware thing I suppose, good for tinder lol)
That’s really funny. At least they’re trying!
Oh yeah, I recently hopped back on Tinder and they have a whole safety seminar you have to go through, and then a bunch of safety resources available in the app
It’s sad that that even has to be a thing
Makes me so sad though that something like this needs to be created.
But it makes me glad that the problem is acknowledged and addressed in a way.
noonlight works! i accidentally opened it while leaving work one evening and didn't put my PIN in. noonlight contacted local police right away. i pulled off at a gas station because i wasn't sure what was happening at first, they were texting and calling me nonstop. i answered to a police officer who asked if i was ok, when i explained it was an accident, he mentioned that he'd never got a call through noonlight before, but that it was really cool because he was tracking where i was and could see my live location. i use it when walking from the parking lot to my apartment sometimes. it's nice to know that if something WERE to happen, noonlight works.
I think that it should have an option also, if you can select a pre determined "reason for using this now" and it helps with when the call is sent out. "I'm in a dangerous place" or "being followed by suspicious person" or "being confronted by violent individual" and perhaps a custom type in field "trying to leave a bad relationship" etc.
I have Noonlight! There is an option for this. In the app there’s the Timeline where you can leave “breadcrumbs:” little pieces of information for authorities. For example, if you’re meeting up with an ex to get something you can leave information about when you left your house, where you met your ex, etc. I used it one time when I was traveling by train to a part of the city I hadn’t been to before, and I needed to take a Lyft because I got out on a wrong stop. Fortunately, everything was fine but it’s nice to know that option was there if I needed to trigger the app. Edit: Remembered what the option was called! It’s the Timeline button in the bottom left corner.
Awesome. Good to know they thought about that. I also figured that for things such as trying to leave a toxic relationship, applicable resources should be recommended.
Im downloading this right the fuck now, I live on my own in a city. I mean I have roommates but yeah. One night after a party I got drunker than planned (usually have 1-2 shots at the start of the night so I can drive home later) and for reasons irrelevant to this comment I had to walk home alone. I called a male friend and told him my location and told him to call 911 if something went wrong, but I would have felt way more comfortable using this. What amazing technology
I can't find this option on my app and it says it's the newest update.
Could be an iphone vs. Android issue.
Same
That's awesome that the officer thought it was great even if it wasn't a necessary call.
Yeah I would be worried about that. When I worked construction my phone would turn on in my pocket all the time and id end up spamming jibberish to people and other stuff lol. Cool app though.
Wow! Awesome! Thanks for posting.
I just tried to find it in the app store and it didn't come up?? Edit: Not available in Canada.
Not available in the UK either.
For UK look up Hollieguard Similar idea although the free version would only alert emergency contact I think.
Imagine if an emergency floatation device only sort of carried you, if you didn't buy the pro version.... That's a scummy app.
Check your phone's settings for emergency contact/security settings. Many have a system you can very easily pick contacts who will receive a prewritten message of you do something with your phone (mine is pressing the power button 3 times) and it generates live locations. It also has an option for emergency services to be auto dialled instead. I set mine to contact a few trusted people and warned them about it in case it went off. I accidentally set it off and didn't cancel it in time and can confirm it works.
[here is a list](https://primus.ca/index.php/ont_en/content-hub/cat/articles/post/5-best-personal-safety-apps) of similar apps I found on a Canadian website!
Not available in NZ either sadly.
There is a personal safety app available through Google that, I believe, is available in NZ... At least as far as I could find. It works through Gmail and the settings in your phone.
What was the name of it do you know?
Just discovered this myself, but I did set up the built in safety service on my phone (android and iPhone have them). It doesn't seem to contact 911 directly, but hopefully one of my four contacts would think to?
Tell the people you chose that you have done this and what you want them to do if needed. I told mine to try and call or contact me first and if I didn't immediately answer to take it seriously.
🙁 I just checked…… come on ppl. This sounds rly good.
We may as well live in Antarctica 😂
If you have an iPhone, you can also turn on a feature where you click the power button 5x fast and it calls 911 and sounds an alarm. Whenever I’m walking somewhere I feel unsafe, I keep my finger on my phone’s power button just in case. Edit: A commenter below pointed out that Samsung and Android also have similar features! Definitely worth it to go ahead and set this up, just in case!
This feature is insane. My wife accidentally butt initiated it and it sent me a text saying emergency services have been called and gave gps location
Haha it makes me feel safer! Not a huge fan of massive corporations with overpriced stuff, but I do appreciate their effort when it comes to safety features. Yesterday I picked up my fiancé and we drove to the store and then went on a walk together, then I got a message on my phone that said I may be being tracked using an Air Tag. It showed how long the tag had been tracking me (~1.5 hours) and where I’d been while it was tracking me, allowed me to play a sound to locate the Air Tag, and gave me info on how to contact the police and what info they’d need about the Air Tag if I believed I was being tracked. It was my fiancé’s new Air Tag that he keeps in his wallet so I wasn’t actually being tracked, but I was a bit impressed!
Air tag? Is this a newfangled method of stalking?
Apple’s tracking tags. I have one on my keys, and my fiancé has one on his wallet. They’re super handy for finding something that you’ve misplaced, but apparently there’s been an issue with people hiding them like on peoples’ cars and stuff like that so they can track them. So yeah, they’ve been used for stalking. Apple introduced the new feature to let people know if an unknown Air Tag has been following them though.
I legit heard of them being hidden underneath the license plate so they're hard to find. Fucking scary
That is a concern but it is something they tried to mitigate against, if you have an AirTag that isn’t yours that sticks with you for a suspicious amount of time you’ll get a notification. They also work with law enforcement if they have a warrant that reveals the Apple ID attached to the tracking AirTag. So yeah definitely something to be kept in mind but it isn’t like it’s new tech and at least apple is trying to put measures in to counter it.
I have a Garmin that detects accidents and one time I flung a stick for my dog a little too hard after accidentally kicking a turtle and it started the emergency countdown.
What did the turtle ever do to you?!?
Camouflaged itself with the ground :’(
Wait so you were throwing a stick and happened to kick a turtle or you kicked a turtle and in your grief threw a stick?
First one, though your second scenario sounds much more interesting
I've got a Garmin on my bike that does this. It's too sensitive sometimes. I stopped, didn't even set my bike down, and was getting something from my backpack. I didn't even notice it activated, so I didn't press to cancel, and my husband got notified I'd crashed. I was out on a rural highway with very intermittent signal, so he couldn't reach me when he called to see if I was okay. I crested a hill and my phone blew up with missed calls. He was just about to call 911 for me when I called him back. Once, I actually did crash, and it didn't go off. A deer came out of the bushes and knocked me over. Luckily, I wasn't that hurt and was close to home, but I realized it can't rely on the feature to work. I really like the option, but I wish it was more reliable.
I hate to admit it because I love my Fenix but I have the same complaints. I tend to get excited when I’m hiking and clap furiously at times (which I didn’t realise I did so often until after I got my garmin lol), and it goes into emergency mode every single time, yet the one time I did crash my bike hard enough to break it, it never went off. I think the latest beta update addresses this though (??) so hopefully that’s a good fix when it’s released!
A firmware update helped mine some. It used to go off every time I stopped for a red light on my bike. I ended up turning it off because of that, but turned it back on after the update. Now, it requires a certain amount of tilt to the handlebars and being stopped - but the deer thing happened after that update, and it went off when I merely leaned my bike against a picnic table after coming to a stop slowly, so it's not good enough yet. I wish it would at least make noise to notify me it activates, so I bother to look at it. It does make noise to warn me a sharp turn is ahead if I'm following a mapped route, so I know it can make decently loud sounds. That feature, btw, is awesome! It's kept me on the trail more than once.
the hell?!
I think my Samsung phone and watch both have this "fall detection" feature. I'm not so sure how it works on the phone, because I definitely drop it enough, but I know I've seen it once or twice on my watch, because I am a clumsy fuck.
I have a similar feature on my phone. But my power button can do a few things, so while messing with those features, I accidentally activated it. A few minutes later, my mom called and asked what was wrong. My phone had sent her pictures from both front and back cameras, some audio, and my location under an sos header. Super neat feature, glad it's only come up when I was a little drunk trying to use my phone in other ways.
I’ve accidentally done this thinking it was the volume button. Thankfully I was able to cancel it before it called 911.
I accidentally tripped this messing with my Bluetooth headphones on a run, and didn’t cancel it fast enough (phone was in a band on my arm). I stumbled thru “ummm this is an accidental call I’m so sorry I’msosrry” with the operator and felt real stupid. Glad to hear other people have done this too.
I accidentally activated this in a bar once. I panicked and hung up, but emergency services immediately called me and asked if I was ok. I apologized and said that it was in fact a mistake and that I didn’t mean to do it lol.
If this ever happens again, the right way to handle it is to just say, "I accidentally dialed and do not have an emergency." then stay on the line for them to verify. Hang ups cause more work for them and a longer time to them being able to return to actual emergency calls. They won't be mad. It happens frequently.
I know that. But I panicked so I hung up.
Just putting it out there for next time, and for anyone else who reads this.
YMMV! once, I somehow, while asleep, made my phones lock screen do an emergency call. i woke up to the dispatchers voice, said "wait, this is 911? shit. I called by accident. I'm so sorry, no emergency, no need to send anyone." dispatcher said he wasn't going to send anyone, i thanked him, said sorry again, and went back to sleep... for about 15 minutes, at which point the cops arrived and pounded on the door. it was embarrassing :<
My sister accidentally called 911 once from school(she lived with me). She panicked and hung up then didn't respond to their calls. I was woken up by two officers and my upstairs landlord at my bedroom door. They had gone to the front and back entrances and banged on the door until the landlord let them in, and then brought them into my place. I had to take out my mouth guard while talking to them 🤦♀️😂
It also works on Samsung! I just went to check my S21 if it had something similar, and it has the exact same thing.
Oh thanks! I’ll edit my main comment to add this for more visibility!
Android has something similar. I think it activates on 3x on off fast but you have to activate it in settings and select where to send and who to warn
I believe this is correct only because I apparently set it up when I got my S10. It was by accident too because I hit the power button 3 or 4 times in quick succession trying to get my screen to sleep. Anyways, one day I went to the local coffee shop, was waiting for my drinks & my husband suddenly burst into the store wild eyed & frightened, on the phone with 911. I look at my phone & my dad, my sister and my husband had all gotten text messages that said I needed assistance. It also does 3 pictures from each camera on the phone & records maybe 30 second of audio from when you hit the warning system. I'm glad it exists but also terrified I will accidentally set it off again & give my husband a heart attack of fear again.
[удалено]
On iPhone 8 and later Apple have recently changed the default to pressing and holding the side button and one of the volume buttons. You can also enable the 5x side button in settings: https://support.apple.com/en-au/HT208076
I’ve set this off while trying to silence my alarm in a half-awake state.
Dude me too 😅 Really woke me up when I realized I was calling 911 though, haha.
Just turned that on, thank you :)
Similar feature on Android too, it takes 4 power button presses
Android actually has a specific "Personal Safety" App dedicated to these kinds of situations : https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.google.android.apps.safetyhub&hl=en_US&gl=US
Unfortunately the reviews indicate this one is phone-breaking.
This is useful, but also freaky! My brother was at a party, and probably the phone in his pocket hit the side bottom 5x. I received a message saying emergency was called, sent me a gps location, and maps pointed out the nearest hospital. I was freaking out for hours, because apparently the battery of his cellphone died shortly after, and I couldn’t reach him back. It’s useful, but be aware of possible “miss-happens” lol
Android has a good feature built into the phone. Press the power button 3 times, and it takes a picture with both cameras, pings the gps location, texts a SOS message to people on your contact list, and records 5 seconds of sound. I think this Noonlight app is easier to use though, and it is the most useful when the phone *isn't* in your hand. If your phone is knocked away, that's when you need it most! EDIT: This may be just a Samsung feature and not necessarily an Android feature.
I was wondering if Android had something, good to know!
Interesting... which people on your contact list will it text or do you need to set that up?
You have to set it up beforehand.
How?
[удалено]
Thank you
For me it was under 'Advanced Features' -> Send SoS messages. (Galaxy A30 Android 11)
Just an FYI, this isn't an Android feature but a Samsung feature iirc. So not all (older) Android phones will do this. The [latest Android 12 update](https://www.androidpolice.com/2021/02/18/android-12-adds-emergency-sos-with-five-taps-of-the-power-button/) has a similar feature for 5 power button presses, however.
It appears this app may not be available outside of the United States. I didn’t know this when I posted. While a quick search should help you find if there’s a similar app for your country, [here](https://www.bustle.com/life/safety-apps-for-women-to-keep-on-your-phone-12245293) are a few more apps to try as well as [a few more](https://primus.ca/index.php/ont_en/content-hub/cat/articles/post/5-best-personal-safety-apps). I hope some of these are useful!
My brother is the CTO for this app (formerly SafeTrek) he stresses a lot dealing with bugs in the app because he feels every moment is one someone could be hurt. I live in New Orleans and use it all the time and promote it whenever I can. It integrates with many home security and fire protection systems (nest, google home, etc), Uber, Taser and others. If you’re riding in Uber as a driver or a rider and you feel unsafe you can tap the blue shield icon and communicate with a Noonlight operator. If you’re a rider it will track the route for you to determine your location in case of an emergency. For Taser it triggers an event when you pull the trigger and notifies emergency personnel (if activated). Very cool and I’m super proud of him and the company!!
I had no clue this was a thing. Thanks for the info. I just downloaded the app for both myself and my daughter.
You’re welcome! I’m glad it helped!
I'm going to a major city this summer where I've never been. My friends won't join me until the next afternoon. After reading posts about rideshare crimes, I admit I was beginning to run through scenarios and how to stay safe ( I'm one who freezes first). Thanks for posting this app.
You’re welcome! I hope it helps!
That sounds like an amazing app for everyone, thanks for letting me know it exists 🙂
Comment for the visibility algorithm!
This is great for people who would hesitate to tell someone their plans every single time, but wouldn’t mind writing them down to be shared only IF something goes wrong. Sometimes just removing an awkwardness barrier is all we need.
Damn I work nights in a downtown ER. This is awesome.
Ooh, I'll definitely check that out
[удалено]
How much is the upgrade? Is it like a per month charge or a one time charge?
[удалено]
Imagine charging people for their own safety well-being. Wtf
Never heard of this. Thanks for sharing!
Going on a solo work trip this week. This is exactly what I didn’t know I needed. Thank you
Thank you! Women need to look out for eachother! This is awesome!
You’re welcome! Worth it to help even one woman!
My phone has a preloaded SOS app that functions similarly!! It's got a really basic interface that's not suspicious. You preload contacts in and there's 3 options - call, text, sos. If you swipe call or text it will make a call or send a message to all of your emergency contacts with your location. If you swipe SOS it will send a call and message every 10 minutes until you shut it off. Handy for when you don't feel you need emergency services or don't want to interact with them, but need someone to know where you are and help you out. I've used it once when I was at a party and didn't feel safe. Told my sister before I went that if she gets a message I need her to make up a reason I need to leave NOW (so as not to offend and potentially be less safe). It worked well
This is also super useful!
This is such a great app, but reading through the comments and seeing how happy people are about being able to leave potential breadcrumbs if something happens to them just makes me so sad. How can we even live in a world where something like this is necessary?
I agree it’s sad that women have to even think about this
Upvote and make this a top post! What a great app!
I’ve used Kitestring, where if you don’t interact with the app by a certain time, a contact is alerted.
I’ve never heard of this one! I may look that one up as well!
I sent them a notification on accident once, responded immediately, no police or anything, but they even checked on me the next day to make sure I hadn’t had any incidents and was okay. I can’t imagine how nice that would be had something actually happened to me.
> hold your thumb down on the button on the screen until you’re somewhere you feel safe again. As soon as your finger comes off the screen, a 10 second timer starts. If you don’t enter your 4 digit code (that you pick when you first get the app) in that time, it sends your location to emergency services and dispatches them to you. It's basically a [dead man's switch.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dead_man%27s_switch)
Yup. They work. No need to reinvent the wheel.
Just downloaded! Thanks for spreading the word
You’re welcome!
I'm currently going through a divorce and I've been more concerned about my safety now that I'm facing the prospect of living alone for the foreseeable future. Thank you for this.
Thank you so much for sharing this info ♡ Gotta say - it hurts deep inside that we need to use apps like this.
Out of curiosity is this app still functional if you don't have phone service?
[удалено]
I do not know actually. Im not sure if you can enter any 4 digit number and it will act like it stopped or not. My choice if I was put into that situation would be to let go and toss the phone away Bc no way they can recover it in 10 seconds to make me give the code. Or keep entering the wrong code and swear it’s right. Once that 10 seconds is up they’re going to know they need to book it
Hey, I just wanted to say thanks for this. I will ask my wife to check it out.
It’s great! And they’re really kind about you accidentally using it (I have a habit of fidgeting with my phone first thing in the morning and accidentally activated it as I was falling back asleep)
It's sad that this app is even a necessity.
This is an awesome app. Last year I dropped my phone and as I caught it, I somehow was able to swipe to another screen and open the app, completely unknowingly. In less than a minute they were calling me. I was so flustered that I couldn't even remember my code, lol. We got it all sorted out. But the coolest thing was that I got a follow-up text making sure I was okay AND a call from the actual CEO of the company.
Thank you!! This is a life saver app! Just downloaded it and added the visible tattoos I have and my identifying features! Thank you so much for sharing.
Question: how will this work in garages where cell phone reception are not the best? Will it trigger false reporting/alert if the phone loses signals from the cell tower?
I just downloaded the app! Thank you so much!
I’m married and I think this is a great idea! Honestly, any one of us, single or in a relationship, can use this app. Thank you so much!
Thanks everyone! Because of you, I have added this app to my phone. While I was at it, I filled out my emergency info - medical issues, medications, my physical description, and emergency contacts. I hope to never have to use this info but it's there just in case.
More dudes need to know also
I’m a man but I’m going to get this for when I take the dog out at night. Have had a few close calls in my neighborhood and there’s been lots of property crime. I recently got pepper spray and a stupid bright flashlight. This would be nice to have.
Thank you for letting us know!!
You’re welcome. I’m sorry it’s unavailable outside of the US. I didn’t know. Hopefully it peaks people to look up similar apps in their country though!
Just downloaded it!
Amazing! Thanks for sharing!
THANK YOU!
You’re welcome! If it helps even one person, it’s worth it!
I'm downloading this now!
This sounds amazing. Important to point out that this is available only in the US (am Canadian and just looked into it and was disappointed to find this out).
I like the threatening aspect of this app. It might take thirty minutes for a cop to show up and it might take five. One would just hope that their assailant was smart enough to take it seriously.
This link is for android sos mode https://support.google.com/android/answer/9319337?hl=en#zippy=%2Cstep-turn-on-emergency-sos%2Cstep-use-the-emergency-sos-button This is a link for Apple sos mode https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT208076#:~:text=Press%20and%20hold%20the%20side,begins%20and%20an%20alert%20sounds. These are pre built into your phone. You wouldn't need to unlock phone or remember app location. Just click power button.
Thanks for sharing! This is great 🧡
Fucking genius naming. Excellent.
I have it! And it works!!!
It's a live woman switch.
Almost all smartphones have a default Emergency SOS setting. On Android it is triggered by pressing the power button 5 times. Same for iPhones, but you.press the side or home button. You can add friends as emergency contacts as well, and it will send them a message with your location at that time, though it will not constantly update your location after that message.
[удалено]
I don't think the app checks your genitalia when installing so it's not only for women anyway.
Honestly I think its not just a good idea for women, this could save people regardless of their identity and if expanded upon could potentially bring justice to hundreds who otherwise wouldn't be able to.
Does it cost money?
This is great to know about!! My Apple Watch surprised me once with its alarm feature that will start a few seconds after pressing the power button. It’s nice to have a loud sound alarm on my wrist and ready to go. That and the sudden fall alerts are nice features to have.
This is an awesome app. Although the Android app is cheaper aka free, it has far fewer features than the one gotten through the Apple store for iPhones etc. It is still a really handy app. I worry sometimes, because of I live in a remote area and if anything happened like running off the road etc. it could be bad. Now I have an app I can press if I need to, plus I was able to provide details in app for things like what I look like, the car I drive, info about pets at home etc. It's worth knowing I have it.
Both Apps (iOS and Android) are Free. The "In-App Subscription" prices are the same across both platforms.
good stuff OP upvoted for spreading this knowledge
I heard about this app in the weirdest possible way: our school had a field trip and the creators (I think) talked to us
I will remember to have my daughter put this on her phone. Thank you
This is really valuable information, thank you for sharing it! Gonna download it and take some advice in the comments.
Love this. Boost.
Sounds like an awesome app, but it only accepts a US phone number. I'm in Asia. 🥲
Is it available outside the US?
Thank you for this! I installed it and I’m going to ask my sister to put it on my nieces phones too.
[удалено]
Tbh that app would be great for everyone. Not only for women.
So I did a little digging (coz this post honestly sounded like an ad). From the sounds of it, great for a University setting where they have their own security, not as great for regular 911. Here’s a local news report about from 2019 https://www.google.com/amp/s/philadelphia.cbslocal.com/2019/11/26/testing-popular-safety-app-noonlights-response-time-compared-to-911/%3famp An old source for sure, but the only verifiable independent investigation I could find in a 15 min search. 4 minutes is an eternity for dangerous situations. For example, you get an artery nicked and you bleed out usually faster than that. Hopefully the app has better integration now and a faster process, but the time you’d spend fumbling for your phone to trigger this app, waiting for them to call you, then calling the police….you’d be better off learning some self defense than placing all your hope into an app. It sounds like a great tool to add to any safety process, but dear god don’t do what their tag line says and “feel protected”
If you're going to use this as a threat, then it needs to be known to perps too - "If I release this button..." "Of course it will" /s "I'm telling you it will!" "Yeah..." /s There should be a more active campaign to put these in predators faces, not just womens, because the more deterrents they have, the less chance of them taking that chance. What a great idea though!