Some of the best app ideas are also the most obvious, and that's definitely the case with the Companion app. The app makes it easy to recruit friends and family to virtually accompany you on your way home at night when you're in areas where you feel less than safe.
And before you poo-poo the app as playing on our fears, try to remember just how many friends you've known who have called you up while walking the streets at night, often in a bid to make sure someone knows that they're safe while traveling in risky circumstances. This app eliminates the need for a lengthy, possibly nervous conversation packed with small talk and instead offers a dedicated tool designed to increase your feeling of safety.
Companion can be used with anyone in your contacts and those contacts don't need to be users of the app. Simply input your starting point and destination in the app and the software will track your progress, periodically asking "Are you ok?" If you don't respond within 15 seconds, by pressing a large green "Yes" button, the app will automatically notify your designated companion.
But the app's protective features don't end there. If it detects that you've begun running, or that your headphones have been taken out of the smartphone's headphone jack, the app will start its 15-second countdown before contacting your friend or family member.
For university students, the app also comes with the ability to report areas around campus that you feel could be safer by allowing you to select an "I feel nervous" option when in that area. The makers of Companion promise to contact your school's officials upon receiving such reports.
Of course, the app isn't designed to encourage you to start traipsing around sketchy neighborhoods at 3 a.m. by yourself, but at least now you have another, incredibly easy way to put your mind at ease when you find yourself in such situations. Currently, the app is available as a free download for both iOS and Android.
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