Companion Is The Safety App That Allows A Friend To Walk You Home Virtually – Would You Use It?

Would You Use An App That Allows A Friend To (Virtually) Walk You Home?

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by Hayley Spencer |
Published on

Would you feel safer if a friend could walk you home after a night out? How about if they could do it virtually? Well, that's the thinking behind safety app 'Companion', which according to International Business Times, has fast gathered hundreds of thousands of female users worldwide.

The threat of crime when we're simply ambling home after a good night out shouldn't be a concern, but sadly it's often prominent in our minds when travelling late at night. So a new app to act as back-up when you're alone seems like a great way to add some piece of mind to your journey.

Companion was dreamt up by five students at Michigan University and carries the tagline 'Never walk home alone'. They built the app after feeling like there wasn't anything similar - which tracks users in real-time - to make them feel safe travelling back to campus. Of course it's not just for students - anyone can use it.

The creators wrote in a blog post "Back at school in Ann Arbor, it seems like we get a crime alert email nearly every other day. While we brush them off most of the time, they are always a bit spooky."

The app works by following you on GPS. It allows you to choose your location, destination and choose a 'companion' who can see your whereabouts. It sends alerts if there appears to be any disruptions to your journey - like if you go off your pre-selected course, start running or have headphones pulled out. If you don't respond to say you're OK within 15 seconds, your friend will be contacted and your phone starts buzzing loudly. It also has an emergency button you can hit to speed dial the police.

Watch the video below to get the full low-down on how it works.

You can get the app from iOS and Android via their website.

Anything that makes women - and people in general - feel safer is obviously a great thing, but would you use this app? Tell us @Grazia_Live.

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