This app not only has advice on how to handle emergency situations but also alerts emergency services of your location through sending a text message with GPS co-ordinates and even a map of where you are.
Features
I review many apps and there are some good apps out there, although every now and again a special app comes up that blows my mind. This app did just that and it’s going to stay on my device forever. This app is very reasonably priced for the piece of mind you get. You can find the nearest police station or hospital nearest to you at the click of a button. The app was very fast and showed my exact location and nearest hospitals and police stations very accurately. I am currently right out here in the sticks in South East Asia so this was a real test of whether this app can work globally or not. Distress – Signal passed with flying colours.
You can even set a pre-set emails plus pre-set text messagse to send out to people who will be able to help you the most. There is an excellent first aid guide rolled into this app which has various emergency reactions advice on how to cope with such situations as choking, head injuries and heart attacks. If you intend on building a really good quality first aid kit there is a comprehensive checklist on how to build up the very best first aid materials and equipment. The CPR & recovery position section I found impressive as there is not just advice on this important and life saving act but there is advice on how to perform CPR on infants and children. The main screen has colour coded buttons to help you select the function you need after a second’s glance.
There is an option to turn you device into a torch if the emergency is at night and also a siren. The siren is recommended to be coupled with external speakers, but it is loud enough to cause a distraction and gain attention on its own. When you first start up the app a personal information screen pops up where you can log any allergies and select your blood type, as well as having your name inputted. This would be handy if you can imagine being on the verge of passing out as you can hand over your device with your personal information to helpers or ambulance staff. You can also add custom information if you have a specific illness or non-specified allergy.
Mission Accomplished
I would like this app to stay just the way it is, as this is obviously not like a game app where features need to be added regularly. This app has a lot of very useful life saving options and the layout is simple. This is one of the very few apps that I’d have to say is just fine as it is, effective and simple to use with a lot of functionality. Remember that this app has one very crucial function that makes this app rise above other emergency apps out there: you can message your exact co-ordinates to emergency services at the touch of a button. I was afraid to click on this button because I didn’t want to falsely alert any medical services but here is a small screenshot of the types of SMS message that you can opt to send. To sum up this app I have to say that it is one of the most useful and important apps that now sits on my device, ever present to assist me in the event of an emergency. Excellent! UPDATE: There is a brand new version of distress signal now available with more features than ever. To view the new distress signal just click this link.
Transcript:
Hi, Kevin here reviewing ‘Distress Signal’ by Waracle which is an app to aid you in an emergency. Including the ability to not only alert emergency services, but also give send them your location.
Quick to download as this app is only 2.4 megabytes in size.
Let’s start the app up.
Start app . . .
On starting up the app you have to agree to certain terms and conditions. I’ve already read though these so I’ll skip on.
Skip terms & conditions . . .
First of all you are prompted to input your first and last name, blood type, and also any allergies that you may suffer from.
The only thing I’m allergic to are cats, but I don’t think they’ll be turning up at the hospital.
Scroll through allergy list . . .
As you can see though, allergies that are relevant to being treated in an emergency situation are all listed here, including Penicillin and Sulfa.
Open ‘Other’ category and input ‘Cats’ . . .
Here I’ve opened up the ‘Other’ category where you can input an allergy that’s not on the list.
Input blood type . . .
When you input your blood type a check appears next to it.
Continue . . .
Here on the main screen you can see that the developer has thought out this main menu screen well, as in an emergency the last thing you want are tiny finnicky button icons. By contrast these are nice and big, as well as colour coded for quick recognition.
First let’s check out the First Aid Guide.
Click ‘First Aid Guide’ . . .
Here we have advice for emergencies.
Click on Emergency, then scroll up & down . . .
As you can see, there are many emergency situations that we can look up advice for. Let’s click on ‘Bleeding’.
Click on ‘Bleeding’ . . .
Here we can see professional advice from the Red Cross and we also have to option to call the emergency services right from the advice page.
Back to main ‘First Aid’ screen . . . click on ‘Checklist’ . . .
Here we have a check list with a comprehensive list of items that will be invaluable in an emergency situation. Handy if you are putting together a first aid kit for you car or home. A first aid kit of this kind would be a of a lot higher quality than the small first aid kits you can buy off the shelf obviously.
Back . . . CPR & Recovery Position . . .
Here we have CPR proceedures for adults, children and infants, including how to place casualties in a recovery position. This is nice to see as some apps just give general CPR advice not bearing in mind the differences between age groups.
We’ll have a peak at the CPR for adults advice.
Click on ‘CPR for adults’ . . .
Scroll up and down – Back x 3 to main screen . . .
Back here on the main screen, in the top right of the screen you can see the red icon which is to alert emergency services. Clicking on this red icon will send your GPS co-ordinates via a text message with a maps link, so that they can find you with longitude and latitude co-ordinates and by checking on the map.
As you’ll appreciate, I’m not going alert the emergency services just for the sake of this review as the emergency services wouldn’t be too happy with me.
This feature is what sets this app apart from other emergency response apps.
Can you imagine if there was a burglar in your house and you didn’t want the burglar to know where you are, you could just send your co-ordinates if it was impossible to talk. Very handy.
The green icon activates a torch which can be set as an SOS beacon, and the purple icon activates a siren which will be louder if you have speakers attached. Let’s test this out.
Activate Siren . . .
As you can see, it’s pretty loud without the speakers even, enough to confuse and daze an aggressor and attract attention.
We can also find the nearest hospital if you need reach a hospital in a hurry without wasting precious minutes asking around for directions. Which, say if you were bitten by a poisonous snake for example might actually save your life in itself.
Click on ‘Nearest Hospitals’ . . .
As you can see, even though I’m way out here in the sticks in South East Asia it’s given me my location and the nearest hospitals immediately. I know this area well and I can even see the hospital that I usually go to. So this app is global, wherever you are it can help you, even if you are travelling on holiday.
Back to main screen . . . Click on ‘Nearest Police Stations’ . . .
If we click on where to find the nearest police stations we can see immediately where to go. I can see that this is totally accurate as I can recognise the police stations in this area.
The app was very responsive as you can see and there are no unnecessary extra button pushing needed, the developer has obviously focused on quick one touch reactions within the app, so that you can focus on the emergency at hand.
Back to main screen . . .
In a nutshell, this app has surprised me in a number of ways, firstly by being so responsive and fast, having a very clear layout which is ideal in a frantic situation where you need to identify the function needed after a quick glance. The app is not cluttered at all. I wouldn’t suggest any improvements to this app as its simplicity and effectiveness takes precedence in an emergency situation, rather than adding buttons and extra features.
I will certainly keep this app on my device forever as I can honestly say that it is the best emergency app I’ve ever used. I’ve wiped out my old emergency app which was clunky and ineffective when compared to this excellent app.
Purchasing this app may save your life or the life of another person, including family members. Well worth the low price for the piece of mind you get with this cracking app. I’m certainly impressed.
Well, that’s all from me reviewing ‘Distress Signal’ by Waracle. Thank you for watching.
You never know when an emergency situation pops up in your life. Considering this thought, this app is something which everyone should have on their phones. I’m impressed with its SMS feature and low price tag. Thanks for sharing! 🙂
I just reviewed this app too and felt the exact same way. I look at so many apps that it surprises me when I find one that is an absolute must have. I really think Distress Signal has the potential to save a lot of lives.
You never know when an emergency situation pops up in your life. Considering this thought, this app is something which everyone should have on their phones. I’m impressed with its SMS feature and low price tag. Thanks for sharing! 🙂
Features
Mission Accomplished
To sum up this app I have to say that it is one of the most useful and important apps that now sits on my device, ever present to assist me in the event of an emergency. Excellent! UPDATE: There is a brand new version of distress signal now available with more features than ever. To view the new distress signal just click this link.
You never know when an emergency situation pops up in your life. Considering this thought, this app is something which everyone should have on their phones. I’m impressed with its SMS feature and low price tag. Thanks for sharing! 🙂
I just reviewed this app too and felt the exact same way. I look at so many apps that it surprises me when I find one that is an absolute must have. I really think Distress Signal has the potential to save a lot of lives.
Great review.
Stacey
You never know when an emergency situation pops up in your life. Considering this thought, this app is something which everyone should have on their phones. I’m impressed with its SMS feature and low price tag. Thanks for sharing! 🙂
Such great app. It is really helpful for me. Thanks for sharing here.
I think it is very necessary and important for people to…