Personal safety and the safety of loved ones remain the most important concerns in today’s society.
Access to apps that could call for help in that moment of crisis can make an impact to those critical moments when adrenaline is at its peak.
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Here are some free apps which could ensure you know what to do when danger lurks.
Safety apps
WhatsApp: Send live location feature
WhatsApp has become part of the South African consumer market and the Send Live Location feature, allows users to share their current location with any of their contacts.
The use of the feature allows that selected contact to track an updated location of your position.
Users have the ability to share their location between 15 minutes, an hour and 8 hours.
This is the most easiest and may be the most popular feature to track the whereabouts of loved ones.
The app is available for both Android and iOS and users can send their location once or send a live location to their contact list.
Namola app
A popular South African emergency service response which uses user GPS location on your smartphone.
The app allows quick response for assistance whether you’re reporting an accident or are in a situation where you need immediate support.
In an emergency, users can press and hold the request assistance button for a few seconds.
This will send an alert to the Namola app control room which if you’ve registered your details and cell number, will have an agent contact you within a short period of time.
Operators will most likely have your GPS location, and will confirm details of the incident to dispatch help in the form of an ambulance or police.
You have an in-app chat feature which was created for those situations where users are unable to speak.
MySAPS app
It was in 2019 when the South African Police Service alongside Vodacom introduced a new app to improve communication between police and citizens.
It’s 2022 and the app might need a slight upgrade but manages to deliver exactly what police look for when reporting to a scene.
The app is intended to make it easer for users to get in contact with the police, and find the nearest police station.
The app is available for both iOS and Android users.
The app does need to be updated due to some of the features not functioning smoothly.
The Safer app
Get emergency response within seconds with the Safer app.
Shake your phone or press the on-screen panic button and a call is sent to the control room for feedback.
The app can be linked to medical emergency backup provided by ER24 and their rapid response vehicles.
From selected emergency contacts you can send an email or sms so users can see exactly where they are.
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