grab that iPhone, gurl.
SOMETIMES, WE TAKE OUR SAFETY FOR GRANTED.
It’s not something people normally think about until they find themselves in a threatening situation. About a week ago, the hallway lights in my apartment corridor were out for several days, and when I found myself coming home to a pitch-black hallway every night – that’s when I suddenly became a lot more aware of my surroundings. Maybe I’ve watched one too many CSI episodes, but I started looking into various safety apps designed for women. Hey, better safe than sorry, right? Just knowing that I have something in my pocket — besides pepper spray — that will help keep me safe from attackers lurking in the shadows is all it takes to help me sleep better at night. At least until I get around to taking those self-defense lessons I’ve been meaning to, anyway.
bSafe
This free app lets you create a network of “Guardians” who can follow you home with a GPS trace. In the case of an emergency, just press the app’s alarm and each of your guardians will receive an alert with your exact location. Bonus: bSafe will record audio and video from your phone as physical evidence. Available for iOS and Android.
Circle of 6
Kind of like T-Mobile’s My Circle, with this app you choose six people to be part of your “Circle.” You then have the option of alerting them if you need a ride, a phone call, or a text message. There is also a Danger button, which will connect you with a hotline for victims of abuse.
Scream Alarm!
If you’re afraid of finding yourself in a situation where you need to scream but can’t, this app will do it for you. It will emit a loud scream that will help alert other passerby to your situation and potentially scare off an attacker, not to mention it will help prevent a strain on your own vocal cords in the process.
FightBack
While this app is similar to the other ones that alert others to your location, this one offers an extra feature: it will also update your Facebook status so you’re more likely to get help in a time of need.
Guardly
This app requires a subscription, and will send emergency alerts to family, friends, 911, and campus police. It also lets you make an emergency call much faster when your phone is locked, which can come in handy during a moment when you’re frozen in panic.
Hollaback!
No, this isn’t a Gwen Stefani song. This special app allows you to take and upload a photo of your harasser, then submit your story to be recorded and mapped on the official website. In addition to signaling to your attacker that his images will be shared on a street harassment prevention website, it will also warn others about potential harassment locations.
Kitestring
This web service works on any phone that has a web browser, and it basically offers users a time frame to get from one place to another, then it checks in on you to make sure that you made it to your intended destination. If you don’t respond when it checks your status, your emergency contacts will be automatically alerted with a custom message that you created.
Cab4me
Kind of like the Uber of safety, this app will show your location on a map and help you find the nearest cab and approximate pickup time. This will save you crucial minutes in case you need to get out of a sketchy location – fast.
