Women’s Safety is a huge issue in any part of the world. Crime against women is increasing and the victims are unable to reach out to the masses for help and in some cases not able to report to the authorities. While there are many tools for women to protect themselves, in certain situations a smartphone can act as a powerful tool against crimes and abuses.

There are many ways a smartphone could help women, and some phones like Samsung Galaxy S7 has inbuilt SOS message feature, which you can take advantage of. However, if your smartphone does not have such a nifty useful feature, then you can find various third-party apps on Google Play store that are designed for the protection and security of women.

To save you the trouble of hunting for the best safety apps, we have compiled a list of Android apps exclusively developed keeping in mind the safety of women in the society and to fight against criminals.

1. Life 360 Family Locator

The Life 360 Family Locator is a best and accurate family locator service. The app tracks your family members and send alerts when your family member reaches specified destination. It can also serve as reliable Cell Phone Tracker. It can pinpoint the location of registered mobile devices, smart phones and even old school feature phones via the app’s website, 24/7. The app tracks the members by using GPS, Wi-Fi or cellular network.

This app is very battery efficient and comes with extra features like group chat. The app lets you create circles, add people to them and see their locations on a confidential map. This way you will be able to always keep track of your family members and confirm that they are safe and sound. You can share your location with them, or send an alert to your circle members.

The panic mode can send a phone call, message, or email with your current position. This app is handy when it comes to safety of your dear ones in the family.

With Life360 you can:

• Create your own groups, called “Circles”, of loved ones, friends, teammates — whoever matters most and chat with them in Family Locator for FREE.
• View the real-time location of Circle Members on a private family map that’s only visible on Family Locator
• Receive real-time alerts when Circle Members arrive at or leave destinations (Eliminate disruptive “Where are you?” texts)
• Track stolen phones or lost phones
• Enjoy a more diverse array of features and benefits than those found on similar apps
• Locate both Android Phones and iPhones with Family Locator!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z34BiSL5Ahw

2. Circle of 6

Circle of 6 is a unique app that lets you connect to up to 6 close contacts. It has different notifications that the user can tap on to alert their circle. For example, If you need a safe ride home or for a familiar face to turn up and take you away from a strange environment, you can send your circle of friends a come and get me message with GPS coordinates on map. All it takes is two taps  and the app will automatically send your circle a pre-programmed SMS alert message, with your exact location.

On top of that, the app has national hotlines and local emergency numbers of your choice and allows you to call proper authorities in an emergency. Circle of 6 also connects you to Scarleteen.com, a comprehensive online sexual health resource.

If you are a student at UCLA, Williams College, Hobart & William Smith, University of Houston or a student at Prince William County Public Schools, there is even a personalized app for download called Circle of 6 U.

Here is how Circle of 6 works:

• You are out late and you lose track of your friends. Use Circle of 6 to send your circle a “come and get me” message — with a map using GPS to show your precise location.
• You are on a date that starts to get uncomfortable. You need a polite way to excuse yourself. Use Circle of 6 to alert your circle to call you and interrupt the situation.
• You are seeing someone new, but you have some doubts about how things are going. Use Circle of 6 to access a wealth of online information about healthy relationships.
• In critical situations, use Circle of 6 to call two pre-programmed national hotlines or a local emergency number of your choice. Also access health and safety information through our web-link.

Circle of 6 For

Circle of 6 For Students (school-specific version)

3. bSafe

bSafe is a popular safety app with features for both everyday safety and real emergencies, making it the ultimate safety tool for you and everyone you love. You can create your personal safety network of friends or family whom you want to help you out in case of emergency.

The app has many features including a Fake Call to make the phone ring when you want it to. You can even define who the call should be from. This is very useful, if you want a reason to get away from a date that is not going well, or a long meeting. There is a one press to SOS option that send an alert to your friends or family to rescue you from a tricky situation. You can also subscribe to premium version for 2 $ per month for extra features.

bSafe can help in all situations:

• Set up your own social personal safety network of friends, family, and coworkers
• Share locations to find each other more easily (optional)
• Ask friends to walk you home with Follow Me’s live GPS trace, or help friends stay safer by walking them home from wherever you are
• Use Timer Mode to program an automatic alarm that will trigger if you have not checked in in time
• Use I am Here to tell selected people where you are right now
• Use Fake Call to make the phone ring when you want it to. You can even define who the call should be from
• And in case you are ever in trouble, the Guardian Alert button will immediately notify your friends and family members that you need help, and let them know where you are (GPS) and what’s happening (video). It will even set off a siren (optional)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0htwT3dBmW4

4. FightBack

FightBack is women’s safety application that can send SOS alerts from your phone. The app uses GPS, SMS, location maps, GPRS and your Facebook account to inform your loved ones in case you are in danger. While the app is designed by Tech Mahindra Limited for its corporate employees, it is still useful for everyone.

The app tracks the movement of the person having the device and shows the location on Google Map by getting the coordinates of GPS. This information is constantly updated at the server and user can send SOS message just by pressing panic button. The app allows you to toggle GPS on off.

In addition, you can send SOS alerts to a maximum of 5 contacts. The user first needs to register and app is dependent on internet connection but still it can be helpful in some cases.

Here is how FightBack works:

• The user downloads the app and launches it.
• User registers himself using his application.
• Once registration is successful he can login using his credentials.
• For Tech Mahindra Limited employees: User can find the blood donors on a single click.