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From a young age, women learn that doing such normal activities as living alone, jogging, going on dates, leaving the house, or not leaving the house, could put them in harm's way. We repeat mantras to ourselves and each other: Try not to go places alone. Don't leave drinks unattended. Check your car's back seats and lock your doors after getting in.
To protect ourselves, WIRED staffers and friends I spoke to mentioned the same few methods, like walking with keys held between their fingers, carrying pepper spray on their keychains, or talking on the phone with a friend until they felt safe. It's not always a stranger lurking in the dark who poses the biggest threat; it's often the ones we love and live with who perpetrate the most harm. We can't make people be better, but as technology writers, the Gear team wondered whether there was something better, a way for all this tech we already carry with us—our phones, our smartwatches—to provide an assist.
We tested built-in smartphone functions, third-party apps, internet-connected jewelry, and other personal safety devices designed to get you in contact with help when you need it. We set off panic buttons where applicable and talked to responders, or went through training exercises provided by the companies. Most of the products are capable of signaling your need for help without requiring you to speak to anyone, so you don't have to dial a number or voice your concern aloud when it would be unsafe for you to do so.
None of these products provides a comprehensive solution for every scenario, but they each offer some form of protection. In some localities, it's illegal to carry a concealed weapon like a knife or even pepper spray, and using those things can put you in further danger. So the methods we highlight here are an alternative to brandishing a weapon.
We approached our testing with inclusivity in mind, acknowledging that different groups may have different personal safety needs or feel vulnerable in situations where others don’t. While we think women, people of color, and members of the LGBTQ+ community would benefit from some of these products the most, cisgender straight men are also at risk of violence, even if they don’t hear the same warnings we do. Most of this advice focuses on one-on-one violence, but mass shootings are also a fear that Americans are constantly battling. These things might help get you in contact with help quicker, but they haven't been tested for that sort of chaos.
This guide is long, with options for a lot of different scenarios and budgets. The most important advice is this: download the free Noonlight app, see what safety features your phone and watch already offer, and learn to use whatever method you go with before you're in an emergency. From there, we urge you to browse the rest of this guide for other options you might not have thought of.
Updated July 2023: We added two apps, SafeUP and Just N' Case, and the Plegium Smart Emergency Button. We also added notes about Apple's upcoming iOS 17 Check In feature.
Medea Giordano is the lead reviewer for this guide. Louryn Strampe and Adrienne So also tested some devices and shared advice on products they already use.
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The built-in safety features of the Apple Watch vary from model to model. Always get to know these features before you potentially need them.
Before you take the plunge and invest in one of these personal safety products or become entirely reliant on a piece of software, here are a few general guidelines to follow:
The apps that come preinstalled on your phone can be used to keep you safe.
Your smartphone has at least two built-in safety features that work without requiring you to download or buy anything extra: location sharing and emergency calling. To use these built-in safety features on your phone, follow these instructions:
1. iPhone: If you have an iPhone, you can share your location with other iPhone users by going to their contact card and selecting Send My Current Location or Share My Location. With the latter, you can choose a time frame: indefinitely, until the end of the day, or for one hour. iPhones also have an emergency call feature that is activated by holding down the power button and one of the volume buttons. You can slide the SOS slider for an instant call to 911 or keep holding down the buttons to start that call automatically, which will happen after a five-second countdown.
2. Android (most other phones): You can use Google Maps to share your location with friends by choosing Location Sharing under your account icon in the top right (on the iPhone app, you’ll find this in the menu in the top left). Unlike the fairly uniform iPhone, Android phones, including Samsung Galaxy devices, come in varying sizes and shapes and receive Android software updates at different times, but if you have an Android phone from the last few years it should have some form of an emergency call system. Check for it now, before you need it.
Pretty much all smartphones now offer an emergency call feature from the lock screen, so you can call 911 without having to unlock your phone. Calls to 911 should also work on most smartphones if you don't have service or a SIM card, as long as you're close enough to a cellular signal, be it your own wireless carrier or another. It’s similar to how you can use a payphone to call 911 without feeding it any quarters.
The obvious downside to relying on your smartphone is that if it dies or is shut off, you can’t make any phone calls or share your location with a trusted contact. So if you notice your battery is low and you sense you might be in danger, you should quickly send your current location so your trusted contact has a starting point. If you’d rather not use continuous tracking, you could text a trusted friend a photo of the map you’re using, like if you’re going out for a solo hike; if you don’t arrive at your destination, friends or authorities can at least try to trace your steps.
Noonlight has free, $5, and $10 per month options.
Every person should have this app downloaded. The best safety apps are simple to use in a panicked situation, and Noonlight is as simple as you can get. All you have to do is press your finger on the on-screen button if you feel unsafe—I often use it while walking home but you can use it for any situation, like if someone knocks on your door. After you release your finger, the app will wait 10 seconds for you to enter a PIN number, in case it was a false alarm. If you don’t enter your PIN, Noonlight will first attempt to contact you over the phone, and if you don’t answer the call, the company will then contact local authorities and direct them to your location. Help is on the way in the critical moments when you may not be able to dial 911 and talk to an operator yourself.
It's available for both iOS and Android, and the free version includes more than enough features for most users. The iOS version, particularly, has two additional free features that I like: Timeline and Safety Network. Your Timeline can be filled out with details about your activities, like who you're going on a date with and where; you can even add a photo of their dating profile. You can also indicate if you’re doing anything out of the ordinary from your usual schedule, like house-sitting, working late, or traveling to a new location. If you activate the Noonlight button, your Timeline will be sent to authorities along with your location.
When you add contacts to the app’s Safety Network, these people can check in on you and send local help to your last known location. And your contacts won't have to download the Noonlight app; they can access all of the relevant information on the company’s website.
If you subscribe for $5 or $10 a month, you can connect Noonlight to apps like Uber, Lyft, and Tinder (you'd be able to automatically add your date's profile to the Timeline mentioned above), or connect a voice assistant. The $5 tier also gets you access to the Apple Watch app, though I personally think that should be a free feature.
Noonlight partners with some of the other options on this list, too, and works with Wyze, one of our favorite smart home brands.
Download Noonlight on the App Store or Google Play.
Arlo Safe App and Button
We like several of Arlo's security cameras, and it's nice to see that the brand has expanded into other areas of safety. The paid version of the Arlo Safe app works similarly to Noonlight. You hold down the on-screen button until you're either safe—release your finger and enter your predetermined pin within 10 seconds—or need help. In the latter case, you'll get a text and call within a few seconds of each other. Like Noonlight, it uses GPS to track your location. A family subscription unlocks other services too, like tracking and check-ins. Without any subscription, the app alerts a chosen contact, not the police.
If you're going to pay for a subscription, I recommend also getting the brand's Safe Buttons, which are really the stars of the show. There are times when you simply can't, or don't want to, have your phone open in your hands, and that's where a panic button like this comes in handy. Once connected to the app, it works the same way, just in device form. Press the button for a second to start the countdown immediately or keep your finger pressed if you feel uneasy, releasing it when you need help.
The button is small and mostly unassuming. It doesn't add much weight to your keys or to yourself if you're on a run. There's a clip to attach it to your clothes, and it seems pretty secure for walking, but runners may want more dependability. I recommend using the key ring to attach the button to a hair tie around your wrist, then use the clip to secure it so it doesn't bounce around—I used to do this with my dorm key in college to avoid losing it or needing a bag. You'll need to have Bluetooth turned on, and the device must be close to your phone for it to work, like the other devices here.
Subscriptions cost $5 per month for an individual plan, $10 for a family plan, and $20 per month for the total Safe and Secure Plan.
Download Arlo Safe on the App Store or Google Play. A single Safe Button costs $30, and there are bundles available: get one button with a one-year subscription for $60 from Arlo, or two buttons and a one-year subscription for $120 from Arlo or Best Buy.
Plegium's buttons are affordable and small little keychains, at just about an inch in diameter. The button part is actually two teeny blue buttons, one on each side of the circle. Hold them down for a few seconds, and once the green light flashes, a text and automated phone call are sent to your chosen contacts. If you don't pay for a subscription, they'll get the location where the button was activated. That gives them at least a place to start if something terrible happens. For live tracking and connection to authorities, you'll need to pay for the $ 5-a-month subscription.
The brand also has two sizes of pepper spray that, when sprayed, alert your contacts the same way the button does. Like I mention in the Sabre section below, I prefer the option to use pepper gel, because there's less blowback on you.
Download Plegium on the App Store or Google Play. A Smart Emergency Button costs $40.
Strava is mostly used for logging cycling and running workouts, but it has some useful safety features too.
Even going out for a solo jog can make you vulnerable to potentially dangerous situations, especially for women. Strava is a social network for workouts, used mostly to record long bike rides or runs, and it may even be an app you already use.
Strava has a helpful feature called Beacon that shares your real-time location with anyone you choose, along with what time you started your activity, how long you've been active, and your phone's battery percentage. If you set up a check-in time with your chosen friend, they'll know when it's time to get worried. They can then share your GPS map with the police. Just remember that if you have a public profile, other Strava users might able to see where you live. Strava has instructions on how to tweak your privacy settings, or you can start tracking your runs a few blocks away from your house.
Beacon is now free on the mobile app (it used to only be part of the premium version of Strava), but you'll have to pay $7 per month if you want to use it on other connected devices.
Download Strava on the App Store or Google Play.
You may be familiar with the Sabre name if you've ever looked into pepper spray. The company makes a long list of police-grade sprays and other safety devices. But the brand teaches safety, too, with certified instructors and programs available. It also has an app to get you help quickly if you need it.
The app is free if you want to only alert trusted contacts, or $5 a month to add police access (Sabre works in partnership with Noonlight for this). In the app, you'll add your contact's name and number and all they have to do is verify it via a link they're texted; they don't have to download the app. On the homepage, you should see your location on a map and a red exclamation point at the bottom. Clicking that exclamation point takes you to your panic button. Once you press it, your trusted contact gets a link to your location. If you've paid for the subscription, it will also alert authorities to that location. From there, you can mark yourself safe or state it was a false alarm—both need a pin number to confirm, and your contact will be alerted of that status as well (though they can still view your location).
Sabre's Personal Safety app can be used alone or paired with its smart pepper spray. If you do connect the spray to the app, it alerts contacts or local authorities when it's been deployed. But as we said earlier, laws are complicated and pepper spray isn't the best choice for everyone or every situation. Pepper gel is also typically a better choice, because there's less chance of it blowing back into your eyes. (If you do get it, please utilize the practice canister.)
Download Sabre Personal Safety on the App Store or Google Play.
Mobile Justice can be used to record your own interactions with law enforcement or to record any police interactions you're witness to.
The killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Daunte Wright, Ma'Khia Bryant, and many others have only underscored that for many Americans—particularly Black Americans—there’s a very real risk of being harmed by police. Even defaulting to apps that promise to “contact the authorities” when you’re in danger assumes a certain amount of privilege: It means your experience is such that you believe the authorities will protect you, not hurt you. But as we know, that is not everyone’s experience.
That’s where an app like Mobile Justice may be helpful. The app records your interaction with police, streaming the video to your chosen contacts and your local ACLU chapter. If you feel your rights have been violated during the interaction, you can then fill out an incident report for the ACLU with the location information, name of the police agency involved, and a detailed explanation of what happened. You’ll need cell service or Wi-Fi for the app to work, but you can record on your phone and send an incident report later if needed. The Mobile Justice app isn’t just for people who are being pulled over or treated with unnecessary force; others can use the app to record incidents they’re witness to.
We know this isn't a perfect solution, and that even capturing concrete video evidence doesn’t necessarily mean a citizen is protected or that justice will be served if harm is done. But you are well within your rights to record interactions with law enforcement. As is outlined in the rights section of the app, officers cannot view or delete footage or confiscate your phone without a warrant; and demanding that you stop recording violates your First Amendment rights. Third parties can legally record interactions with police and someone else, as long as they are not interfering with what’s happening or obstructing officers’ movements.
There's more helpful information within the app about your rights in different situations, whether you’re being stopped by the police or participating in a protest, as well as alerts from your local ACLU.
Download Mobile Justice on the App Store or Google Play.
Rescu lets you choose exactly the type of help you need, and saves addresses so you can get help to your house even if you aren't there.
In addition to police, Rescu includes options to get the fire department or an ambulance dispatched quickly so you don't have to worry about talking through an incident with an operator before the right team is alerted. It has another nice feature: You can send help to up to four saved addresses even if you aren't there—so if you're out of town and your security camera spots someone lurking around or there's an emergency at an elderly parent's house outside your area, you don't have to figure out exactly which department to call when you're already panicked.
Personal Alarm Key Chain There's no free tier here. The $