A night out or a walk home
Check in every so often. If you stop, a friend gets a text and then a call.
If you go quiet, your people will know.
StandingBy is a personal safety app for times you are on your own.
You decide how often you will check in and who should be told if you stop. If a check-in does not arrive, StandingBy texts, then calls, the people you chose, in the order you chose.
The button opens your email app. We keep your address only to tell you when StandingBy is available, and nothing else. There is no sign-up form.
Obvious
Walk home
Check in by 11:00 pm
Hold to check inIf you don't, this phone's alarm sounds at 11:05 pm.
See the whole plan
Get help nowHold, let go, then hold again
End session
Example: a walk home from a partyUses Plus
How the session might run
- 10:30 pm
You start a session
You check in every 10 minutes, Sam and Priya are told first, then Mom and Dad.
- 10:40 pm
You check in
From the reminder on your phone, or in the app.
- 10:50 pm
You check in
Each check-in sets the next one, 10 minutes later.
- 11:00 pm
No check-in
A reminder appears on your phone, and a text reminder follows if you still have not checked in.
- 11:05 pm
An alarm on your phone
Your phone sounds an alarm, and nobody has been told yet.
-
Your people are told
- 11:10 pm
Sam and Priya get a text with your location
The text asks them to try to reach you and, if you chose to share it, links to your last known location.
- 11:15 pm
Mom and Dad get a call
An automated call tells them your check-in has not arrived. A call carries no location.
- 11:20 pm
Sam gets called twice
Two calls close together, because a second call soon after the first can ring through Do Not Disturb.
- 11:10 pm
- 11:23 pm
You check in
Everyone who was contacted is told you checked in, the way they were contacted: Priya by text, Mom and Dad by a call, and Sam by a text and one call.
Sample names and times.
Text message
Today 11:10 pm
Alex Rivera's expected check-in has not been received. This is StandingBy, a safety app. Alex Rivera asked for you to be told if they stopped checking in. Their last check-in was 20 minutes ago. Please try to reach them. Last known location: app.standingby.io/l/7Kq2mRx9Lp3VbT8sNw4ZcA This is not an emergency service. In an emergency call 911. What this is: standingby.io/messages Reply STOP to opt out.
What it does
You choose the order
Set up steps: who is told first, who is told next, and how. A text, a call, or two calls close together. A text can include a link to your last known location.
It does not depend on your phone
Missed check-ins are tracked on our servers, not on your phone. A flat battery or lost signal does not stop your people being told.
Your people do not need the app
They get ordinary texts and calls. You send each of them a short introduction, and they are contacted only once they have agreed on the page it links to.
People hear when you check in
Check in late and everyone who was contacted is told you checked in, and that they may hear from StandingBy again while the session runs.
Who it is for
Anyone who would like someone to notice if they go quiet. Some examples:
A hike or run on your own
Longer gaps between check-ins, set to match how long you expect to be out of touch.
A home that does not feel safe
Frequent check-ins for a while when something outside does not feel right, or check-ins at set times when the threat is someone you live with. A disguised mode helps hide them from someone who might see or use your phone. What it does, and its limits.
Living on your own
Check in twice a day, at times you pick. A relative can help you set it up.
31%
1 in 3
1 in 4
28%
Pricing at launch
Free and Plus
| What each includes | Free$0 | Plus$4.99 a month or $39.99 a year |
|---|---|---|
| Profiles you can start and edit | 1 | Unlimited |
| Steps a session runs | The first 2 | Every step |
| How people are reached | Texts | Texts and calls |
| People a session tells | 2 | Up to 10 |
| Past sessions shown | Last 14 days | Last 6 months |
In both
- Checking in
- SOS
- The alarm on your phone
- Disguised mode
- The link to your last known location
A new account has every Plus feature for its first 14 days, with no payment method needed.
The people you choose never pay.
Prices are in US dollars.
What it is not
- It is not an emergency service. It cannot contact 911 or any other emergency service, and nobody at StandingBy watches your sessions. If you are in danger, call 911.
- It does not know whether you are safe. It only knows that a check-in did not arrive. A missed check-in is often just a flat battery or a forgotten phone, so the messages say what happened and nothing more.
- It cannot promise a message arrives or a call rings. Texts and calls go through phone carriers. Your people's phones may silence unknown numbers, filter texts, or be switched off.
- It is not for tracking someone without them knowing. You can help a parent or relative set it up on their phone, but the sessions are theirs: they check in, and you are told only if they miss one or ask for help.
Where things stand
StandingBy is not available yet, in any app store. We are testing it and building the service that sends messages. It is coming to both iPhone and Android.
If you would like to hear when it is available, email hello@straightasoftware.com. For anything else, see Support.
Email me when it is available