Google Just Made It Even Easier to Perform Safety Checks
Social media has become one of the easiest ways to do, well, anything. While you may use it mostly for keeping up with current events (watch out for fake news, though!) or just to see what’s trending, it’s also been used recently to help users let their loved ones know whether they’re safe, with features like Facebook’s safety checks. Google just jumped on the bandwagon with their own version, called Trusted Contacts.
After you download the app, you can give contacts in your phone “trusted status,” meaning they’ll be able to see your location in certain situations. One situation this app would be helpful in is if your friend was supposed to meet you somewhere but they’re late and not answering texts or calls. Since the app works even without cell service, you can see whether your friend has been active recently (meaning whether they’ve been moving around) and the last general spot their location was logged.
Another example is if you have to walk somewhere alone at night and are feeling a little nervous, you can opt to share your location with a loved one so that they can virtually walk you home. When you get there, you can simply tap the banner to stop sharing your location. Easy-peasy!
This new app is definitely going to put some minds at ease — even if the only reason you aren’t answering is that your phone died.
What would you use Trusted Contacts for? Tell us @BritandCo!
(Photos via Google + Caiaimage/Tom Merton/Getty)