When it comes to keeping yourself safe, or getting fast help in an emergency, you might find some useful tricks in your smartphone that you didn't know were there.
For iPhones: Apple just added a feature to the new operating system iOS 11, which is available to update now. With the new system, users can access immediate 911 calling by either pressing and holding the side button on an iPhone 8, or tapping the power button five times on older models. The Emergency SOS option comes up on the screen, and a quick swipe ill call 911 right away.
For Samsung phones: Users can enable SOS messages in Settings and then enter the preferred emergency contacts. From there, users press the power button three times, and it sends an emergency alert to the emergency contacts, including the phone's location, an audio recording, and photos from both cameras.
If it's not a pressing emergency,or you've already contacted police and you want your neighbors to be aware of an issue, you can try the Nextdoor app. The app creates a mini social network within a specific neighborhood, where users can post about issues like a rash of car break-ins, lost and found pets, or a home robbery nearby. It also has an Urgent Alert feature to send messages out to other users about safety concerns. Nextdoor is free in the Google Play Store or the Apple Store.
While these tools are useful in an emergency, it's important to be careful to not use them accidentally. False 911 calls to police can jam up the system and prevent real emergency calls from getting through.
