5 apps to make your loved ones' lives easier, safer

Even as the world progresses in terms of technology, the daily news makes it seem like we're hurtling towards a dystopia. The safety of our loved ones is a constant factor of stress and concern to all of us, especially if they live in cities or live alone. We've compiled a list of 5 apps we think will go a long way in making sure you and your loved ones live a much safer and more secure life.

Life360 - Family Locator, GPS Tracker

Life360 is an app that connects the whole family or group of best friends together in one easy-to-use interface. The main feature is the ability to form virtual 'circles', private groups with the people you care about, which enables a map that is visible only to the specific circle, with real-time locations of all the circle members.

Members will also receive real-time alerts when others have checked in at or are leaving from different locations, removing the need to type out anxious text messages when someone is running late. If one of the member's phones are lost, anyone else in the circle can get its live location. The app even has a car crash sensing function, which will immediately alert the emergency number, as well as send alerts and live locations of the crash to other members in the circle.

bSafe

As the safety of women in our country dips to an all-time low, an app like bSafe can provide a certain sense of security to both the users and their loved ones. The app is filled with features to help out in case of any dangerous situation, like the SOS button, the Follow Me function and the Siren option.

The SOS button can be activated either by voice, making it much more secure as one does not need to have physical access to their phone if they are in such a situation, or by pressing the SOS button in the app. This immediately sends an alarm along with the live location to a user-preset list of guardians. The user's phone will also begin live streaming audio and video to the guardians devices, and the files will be recorded as well.

The Follow Me feature basically acts like tracking an uber ride, by sending a live GPS tracking link of the user to the guardians, while the I'm Here feature alerts selected people of the user's location in case they need an emergency pick up. Users can even activate a Fake Call from the app to ward off unpleasant or threatening individuals before further escalation, and a Siren alarm can be sounded if that doesn't work.

Senior Safety App

Oftentimes we forget that our aged parents and grandparents need much more care and monitoring than what we provide for them. However, the unending chaos of modern life has made it increasingly difficult to find to time to constantly be around them.

The Senior Safety App is an extremely easy to use application that can in certain ways, assist you and the seniors alike. The app offers an SOS feature for seniors in an emergency, that sends text alerts along with a live location of the device to multiple pre-set contacts, while also continuously placing calls to each contact until one of them picks up.

The app utilizes motion sensors in the user's phone to detect if the user has had a fall or a sudden jerk, and will immediately notify the emergency contacts of the same, while it also sends an inactivity alert if the user has been immobile for longer than usual. For those with senior family members suffering from ailments like dementia, the 24/7 GPS tracker and ZoneAlert ensures that they will be notified if the senior has wandered beyond the area that has been set, like the home or the neighbourhood.

For seniors living alone, a phone is often their only means of contacting anyone for help, and so the app alerts the user to charge the battery much earlier than the phone's normal low battery alert kicks in. Regular reports of app usage will be sent to an appointed contact, to make sure that the senior is safe from malicious scammers and contaminated apps. In case of a medical emergency, the app has the option to store all necessary medical information and doctor contacts, which are available at a moment's notice if needed.

Pill Reminder & Medication Tracker - Medisafe

Medisafe's medication tracking app is one of the most popular because of its easy to use interface and life-saving features. The app provides the user with personalized reminders for every single medication and if you miss one, a pre-selected caregiver, or 'Medfriend', will be alerted.

Once the user's prescriptions are almost over, the app sends a notification to replenish the stock, while also notifying their doctor. Complex dose schedules can be entered into the app by the doctor, making it safer for the user to track their medication on their own.

The app's logbooks record reports on a daily, weekly and monthly basis, which can be shown to the doctor. The app is compatible with WearOS devices as well, and will adjust itself in different timezones so that the medication schedule remains unaltered.

FamilyTime Parental Controls & Screen Time App

FamilyTime is an app that makes for better parenting but without being obtrusive. The Internet has brought with it a host of negative influences that children can easily fall prey to, and this app helps you to prevent exactly that, offering additional safety features along the way.

Multiple devices can be added to the app's list, and the rights to control the settings can be shared with a spouse. The app places web filters on questionable websites, allows you to further customise websites and content to be blocked, and turns on SafeSearch in any search engine, to ensure that search results are safe for your children to view.

Even apps like social media or games can be blocked if they are affecting your child's sleep time, concentration or general well-being, and if that seems too extreme, parents have the option to set a daily app limit with customizable schedules for homework and sleep, during which the children will not be able to open apps.

If you prefer to leave the children to be responsible on their own, but want to make sure that they are indeed doing so, you can monitor the children's phone usage and see how long they've been using each app.

The SMS and Call tracker feature can be used to ensure that strangers cannot contact your children, while the location tracker monitor's their location in realtime and alerts you if they leave a certain location.

Safe Drive enables you to set limits and receive notifications if your teenager is driving rashly, while the SOS alert can be activated by the children in case they're in need of help. The children can even use the PickMeUp option to let you know where they are and when they want you to pick them up.