College Students: Download These Security Apps Now
We’re not here to tell you to take a friend with you wherever you go and call your mom when you come every night, but if you’re new to campus, work the graveyard shift, or plan on partying late in the rush for a week. it doesn’t hurt to take some precautions.
It’s orientation week for freshmen at Lifehacker! This week, we’ll share how to break out of the summer fog and plunge into the autumn burst of activity, whether you’re heading to campus for the first time, getting your kids ready for school, or looking for ways to simply be more productive in school . So buckle up your Guardian Hunters with Velcro, apprentices. The class is now in session.
Here are some free apps that send you location updates to friends and act as an alarm if you ever feel unsafe while walking around campus.
bSafe
This app has many features to help you stay safe:
- You can ask a friend to look at the map as you walk / head home.
- If you are in danger, you can send a signal to contacts (called Sentinels) who can watch a live stream of what is happening around you.
- It has a voice alarm if you cannot reach your phone.
- You can send your exact location to someone.
And much more .
Circle 6
This is one of the most popular applications for security, allowing only two touches to share your location with six people. Its pin icon lets your friends know they have to come to you, and its phone icon indicates that you need one of them to call you. Available on iOS .
One shout
This application is voice activated and will ask for help with your exact location if it detects a cry nearby. It says that he will not detect simply “loud noises and playful screams,” but “persistent guttural screams that signify genuine suffering.”
Try this version if you have an Android phone.
Kitestring
Kitestring is a text service (so you don’t need to download an app) that checks you when you talk about it and alerts your friends when you don’t reply.
Your school’s app
Many schools have apps that list local emergency numbers, timetables for buses and shuttles (so you won’t be left alone for an hour after school until late at night), and more to help you get home safely. If your campus has its own security service, it is worth having your phone close at hand and possibly supplementing it with other applications.