This is a snapshot listing the system requirements and a few of the highlighted features for the Watch Over Me App mentioned in “Smart Personal Safety and Security.” It also complements “The Gift of Fear,” which discusses how to recognize potentially dangerous situations.

From WATCH OVER ME is another free security app available for both Android and iOS devices. The current version from Google Play, 6.4.0, requires Android version 4.0 or higher. The current version on iTunes, 6.21.0, requires iOS 7.1 or higher and is compatible with the iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch.

This application boasts a somewhat different set of features than the previous apps we’ve looked at. Among these are:

• Watch Over Me allows you to specify how long you want it to monitor and track you via GPS. If you do not check back in before the end of this period, the app will alert your defined guardians via e-mail, Facebook, or SMS texts.
• Watch Over Me allows you to customize maps with ‘safe’ locations, such as ‘home’, so that it will stop tracking your location when you enter these areas.
• Once Watch Over Me is activated, simply shaking your smart device, even if it is locked, is sufficient to trigger an emergency alarm. In addition to generating a loud audio alarm, it begins recording video, activates the device’s flash and alerts your contacts.
• Employing official crime and social data, Watch Over Me will notify you when entering known high crime areas using its Safer Streets feature. Unfortunately, this feature is currently only available for the following locations,¹ though they hope to up this list to 50 cities by 2017:
  • Chicago
  • New York City
  • London
  • Leeds
  • Melbourne
  • Sydney
  • Kuala Lumpur
  • Bangkok

Note that the SMS message feature is considered a premium feature and is available for $4.99 per year. However, this fee includes an unlimited number of messages from any location around the globe.

Reference

1.  WATCH OVER ME. Watch Over Me – award-winning app that turns your smartphone into a powerful safety device. Watch Over Me App (2015). http://watchovermeapp.com

 

John Joyce is a laboratory informatics specialist based in Richmond, VA. He may be reached at editor@ScientificComputing.com.