It is an accepted fact that brutal crimes against women are occurring daily across the world. Not just women but even kids and men too. May it be the college, Job or even the household. Nowadays, walking down the street alone late night can be unsafe. You might have texted your parents or friends you’re coming home but that might not be enough. Fortunately, your smartphone can do more than just texting in such situations. Your smartphone can help prevent wrongdoings and even inform your dear ones of any such unlikely situations. Well in case you’re wondering how; it can all be achieved with personal security apps.
Read:Â Use These Apps To Make Android Easier for Senior Citizens
With several personal security apps available on Play Store, we have compiled here a comprehensive list that will be helpful for Women, college students, and a household. These personal security apps can let your guardians or dear ones know where you are by tracking your location and inform them that you are in danger with just a tap of a button. There are apps that can make a fake call and disguise the wrongdoer that you’re in contact with someone currently. Some can even play the sound of police sirens and other emergency sounds and let the surrounding people know you’re in danger. So, without further ado lets dig into it.
Table of Contents
Personal Security apps for Android
#1 Life360
Life360 was one of our top picks for best family locator apps for Android. The app is available for both Android and iOS and provides GPS tracking of individuals that are in your circle. So, you basically create a circle or join one and everybody in the circle will be able to track and see your location on the Map. It provides messaging and help alerts that can be sent to your chosen contacts in the circle.
It also a provides a widget that you can add to your home screen and receive quick updates. You can even add certain locations like Home, School or Work and get updates on when did the individual enter/leave the place and where he/she is currently.Â
Price: The real-time tracking feature is free, but there are some premium features that are available on a paid subscription of $4.99/month with a 7-day free trial. Paid features include Driver protect – where you can track car’s speed, phone use and get week driver report. Other features include – unlimited place alerts, 30 days of history and priority location updates.
Pros:
- Available for both Android and iOS.
- Very useful widget system
- GPS tracking – real-time location updates
- Help alerts – via SMS and Call
Cons:
- Few issues with the notification system
- Not so accurate GPS tracking.
Verdict:
When it comes to personal security this app definitely does not let you feel alone. You know there is someone somewhere who knows where you are. Emergency or help alerts also are a great plus as they are also available in the widget. I would also prefer a hardware button alert to quickly notify your circle that you are in danger. Maybe the power button or volume buttons as they are quickly accessible. Apart from that, the app can be of great use amongst family and friend circles for safety.
Download Life360Â [Free + Subscription for Premium features]
#2 bSafe
bSafe is another personal security app with GPS tracking. The ‘Follow me home‘ feature is one of the key features of the app. Once the option is triggered, it allows your guardian to track your live location which gives you a virtual feeling that someone is with you, watching over you.
Another great feature is the bSafe alarm which sends your guardian a message with your current location and audio/video after it is triggered. If you have enabled the option to send audio/video, it will be sent after a delay of 3 seconds after recording the audio/video. Other features include a timer alarm which is triggered by your guardian if you don’t reach your place at the set time and fake calling too is available.
The app also takes care of privacy, by giving the option to turn off location sharing, if for some reason you don’t want to be tracked. Especially helpful when your guardians are your friends.
Pros:
- Live location sharing
- Privacy options
- History of your actions
- Easy to use and intuitive UI.
- Totally Free.
Cons:
- No option to quickly trigger SOS. (in-app only)
Verdict:Â
Its safe to say that bSafe is a completely packed with features that a personal security app with location sharing must have. Although it lacks in the area of quickly triggering SOS, the features like ‘Follow me’ and ‘bSafe alarm’ are highly useful to fill in the gap. Also, the main screen contains all the necessary features so that you don’t have to navigate through pages to enable them. I will give it a 4 out of 5 as a personal security app.
Download bSafe [Free]
#3 SOSmate
If you are looking for a quick action personal security app then SOSmate is the one to use. SOSmate provides various emergency sounds like Police siren and whistler which can be activated using the power button.
So, how it works is that you press the power button 7 times (can be reduced to 3) and a small ‘Emergency‘ button will pop up on the lock screen. Double tapping the button will activate the Panic option and it will start play the Police siren and simultaneously send your location to the contact you have set as a guardian.
The best part is that you can customize everything that is available. It also provides a widget with the panic button and the whistle sound. Also, you need to take care that mobile data or WiFi is kept on, otherwise the Email to your guardian during Panic activation won’t be sent.
Pros:
- Quickly enable panic button
- Various emergency sounds available to grab the attention of nearby people.
- Customizability
- Totally free.
Cons:Â
- The app is not updated to latest Android version. Issues in Android 7.0 and above.
Verdict:
Want a quick action then SOSmate is the best personal security app to go for. The ability to trigger the Panic alarm with power button and widget is very helpful for a quick reaction. Apart from that, customizability makes it very easy to use the app.
Download SOSmate [Free]
Tip:Â If you use Nova Launcher Prime or any launcher/app that has gesture actions then you can set any of these apps to quickly open using a gesture.
#4 Shake2Safety
Shake2Safety is another personal security app to quickly perform an action in a panic situation. As the name goes, the app sends an emergency message when you shake your phone. The accelerometer tracks the shaking of the phone and triggers the help SMS to be sent to your selected contacts. It sends an auto-generated message which contains a help message and your current location.
In the preferences of the app, you can even choose to automatically take a photo and record audio when Shake action is triggered. Apart from that, the sensitivity of the accelerometer can also be changed as per your liking.
Pros:
- Quick action and reaction
- Customizability
- Free
Cons:
- Sometimes tracks minor shaking as the Emergency trigger. Can be fixed by setting lower sensitivity.
Verdict:
Good use of the accelerometer to trigger emergency actions. The app works well and doesn’t fail in triggering the action. As mentioned above in the Cons, setting the sensitivity to 5 or 6 should be fine and that won’t trigger false emergency messages on minor shaking.
Download Shake2Safety [Free]
#5 Emergency Alert for Wear
Well, not just your smartphone but your Android Wear device can also be helpful in panic situations. Emergency Alert for Wear is the perfect personal security app for your Android Wear device. You download the app on your Android smartphone and enable it on your Wear device. Configuration options are available in the app where you can set the contact number and the emergency message.
Opening the app on your wear device will trigger the Emergency message or you can even trigger it using ‘Ok Google, open Emergency Alert’.
Pros:
- Quick trigger using Ok Google.
- Easy to use.
- Free.
Cons:
- Only one contact number can be set
Download Emergency Alert for Wear [Free]
Which is the Best Personal Security Android App for You?
All the mentioned apps above have been picked keeping in mind safety of individuals that travel alone and are in constant danger. If you travel often then I suggest you use bSafe as your personal security app as it was more accurate in my usage and easy to use. To further add more security I suggest to also use Shake2Safety or SOSmate app as they can help get the attention of people passing by.
Apart from these personal security apps, there might be apps available that are specific to your region. Apps made available by country police or NGOs. At last one suggestion, using tech for security is smart but it ain’t failproof. Taking help from local police will always be beneficial if you find yourself in constant danger.
Also Read: Best Security Apps for Android
