The best safety app for living alone is one you do not have to remember: it notices when your phone has gone quiet for too long, asks you first, and only then alerts someone you chose. AURA Here does this for free, on Android from Google Play and on the web. It is not an emergency service and does not replace 112 or 911.
The safety check-in app for people who live alone
The best safety app for living alone is one you do not have to remember: it notices when your phone has gone quiet for too long, asks you first, and only then alerts someone you chose. AURA Here does this for free, on Android from Google Play and on the web. It is not an emergency service and does not replace 112 or 911.
The challenge
If you live alone, a fall, a faint or a sudden illness can go unnoticed for days, because nobody expects to hear from you at a fixed time. Calling a relative every evening does not last, wearable alarms feel like a label, and most check-in apps depend on you remembering to tap a button each day.
How Aura helps
You choose how many hours without a sign of life are too many, from 1 to 72. In the Android app, steps, screen unlocks and charging count as signs of life on their own, so a normal day needs no tap at all.
When the time runs out AURA Here asks "Are you OK?" and reminds you 15 minutes later. Your Guardians hear about it only if nobody answers, and any signal that arrives later closes the alert as a false alarm.
Invite up to 3 Guardians for free with a link. They are alerted by push and email, see when your last signal arrived and how much battery the phone had, and one taps "I'm on it" so the others know someone is handling it.
A safety timer for a date or the walk home, from 15 minutes to 12 hours, a sealed note Guardians can open only if the alert goes off, a danger code that silently alerts them, an SOS, a fake call and one-tap emergency numbers.
How to set up a check-in when you live alone
- 1
Install AURA Here
Get AURA Here from Google Play on Android, or open it in the browser on iPhone and desktop with the same AURA account.
- 2
Choose your check time
Pick the "I live alone" preset, which checks after 24 hours, or set your own between 1 and 72. Add your quiet hours: a check that would fall at night moves to 30 minutes after you wake up.
- 3
Invite your Guardians
Send the invite link to a relative, a friend or a neighbour on WhatsApp, Telegram or SMS. The first circle is alerted first; if nobody takes the alert within 30 minutes, everyone is.
- 4
Fill in the emergency packet
Write what a Guardian should know only in an emergency: where the spare keys are, your medication, your doctor, who feeds the cat. Guardians can read it only while an alert is open.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best safety app for someone who lives alone?
Look for three things: a check that does not depend on you remembering it, a question to you before your family is alerted, and no continuous location tracking. AURA Here does all three for free: its Android app reads signs of life from steps, unlocks and charging, it asks "Are you OK?" first, and it alerts the Guardians you invited only if you do not answer.
Is there an app that alerts someone if I do not respond?
Yes. In AURA Here you choose a time between 1 and 72 hours. If your phone shows no sign of life for that long and you do not answer the "Are you OK?" check, the Guardians you invited are alerted by push notification and email, with the time of your last signal.
Is AURA Here free?
Yes. Checks, alerts, SOS, position sharing and the emergency packet are free, with up to 3 Guardians. AURA Here Plus, EUR 2.99 a month or EUR 24.99 a year and included in AURA Premium, only widens the circle: up to 10 Guardians, and alerts kept for a year instead of 90 days.
Does it track my location all the time?
No. There is no continuous background tracking. Your position is sent only if you turned sharing on, when you press "I'm here" or SOS, and it updates during an SOS or a safety timer while the app is open. Guardians can see it only while an alert is open.
Does AURA Here call an ambulance or the police?
No. AURA Here is not an emergency service and never calls emergency services for you: it alerts the people you chose. If you are in danger, call 112, 911 or your local emergency number.
Do I need a smartwatch or a wearable alarm?
No. AURA Here uses only your phone. The Android app picks up steps, screen unlocks and charging automatically; on iPhone and desktop you check in from the browser with one long press on "I'm here", and opening AURA counts too.