Senior safety apps: what they do and how to choose one
A senior safety app tells the family when an older person might need help. Some ask for a tap every day. Some show where the phone is on a map. Some read normal phone use and tell you when it stops.
The right one depends on three things: the phone your parent has, what they are happy to do every day, and who should hear first when something looks wrong.
The four kinds of senior safety app
Daily check-in apps
Your parent taps a button once a day. If they miss it, a contact gets a message.
Good: Simple, and your parent chooses to say that they are OK.
Watch out: People forget the tap, and many stop within a week. After a missed tap, it can take a day before anyone knows.
Location sharing apps
The family sees on a map where the phone is.
Good: You know where they are.
Watch out: A dot at home does not tell you that they are well. Many parents feel tracked and turn it off.
Emergency button and fall detection
A button in an app, on a watch or on a pendant, and sometimes a sensor that notices a fall.
Good: Help comes when they press it, or when the watch detects a hard fall.
Watch out: It works only when it is worn, charged and pressed. Many call an emergency service first, which some parents do not want for a small fall.
Apps that read normal phone use
The phone already shows that someone is up and about: the first unlock in the morning, the charger, the battery. The app shares this with the family and tells you when the phone goes quiet for too long.
Good: There is nothing to press, wear or charge, apart from the phone they already use.
Watch out: It tells you that the phone is used, not how they feel. It calls no one for them.
What they cost
Prices from the makers' own pages and the app stores, in October 2026.
| App or service | Kind | Phone | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Snug Safety | Daily check-in | Android and iPhone | Free; Dispatch plan $12.50 a month |
| Life360 | Location sharing | Android and iPhone | Free plan; paid plans $9.99 to $29.99 a month |
| Apple Check In | Timer for one trip | iPhone only | Free, in Messages |
| Google Safety Check | Timer for one activity | Android, in Google's Personal Safety app | Free |
| Parents are OK | Phone use | iPhone only | $9.90 a month |
| StillFine | Phone use | iPhone only | $6.99 a month |
| AmiFam | Phone use | Android (iPhone later) | Check-ins free; signals free for 7 days, then from €4.99 a month for two people |
| Personal alarm | Button with a response centre | Pendant or watch | About €25 to €40 a month in Spain, Germany and the UK |
Questions to ask before you choose
- Which phone does your parent have? Many senior safety apps work only on iPhone, while most phones in Europe run Android.
- Will they do something every day? If a daily tap sounds like a chore to them, it will stop within a week.
- Who should hear first? Some parents want their family told, not an ambulance for every small thing. Others need a response centre that sends someone.
- Are they OK with location? Ask them. Many older people say no to anything that feels like being followed.
- What about the night? A good app knows that a phone is quiet at night, so it does not wake you for nothing.
- Does it work both ways? A parent agrees more easily when they can also see that you are OK.
- What does it cost for the whole family? Some apps charge per older person. Some cover a group.
Where AmiFam fits
AmiFam is a senior safety app for Android of the last kind. You and your parent both install it, and your parent chooses what to share with you:
- The first unlock in the morning, so you see that they started the day
- When the charger is plugged in or unplugged
- When the battery is low
- When the phone turns off or on
- A manual check-in with one tap, if they want to say hello
You can get a notification when their phone is not used for 3, 6, 12 or 24 hours during their day. You choose the hours of their day, so the night does not count.
AmiFam never shares their location, messages, calls, contacts, photos or the apps they use. It is not only for seniors: anyone can share, watch, or both, so it also works for a brother who lives alone or a friend abroad.
AmiFam does not call emergency services. If your parent needs someone to come to them in an emergency, keep a personal alarm as well.
Try AmiFam
AmiFam is in early access on Google Play. Send us an email and we set it up together with you and your parent. See how AmiFam works.