Greetings again, tech skeptics. In this issue we will discuss a neat little app that can be very useful for everyone, especially college students: Companion. This app that does the worrying for you when your friend or loved one is out and about—no doubt studying innocently at the library or having a quick bite at Pierce.
The unique feature of this app is the real-world preparedness of it. Once you choose your companion, who can be anyone with a phone worldwide, that companion will receive updates on your location and status. The app also has a clever feature that detects sharp changes in movement such as sudden running or disconnected headphones. The user will be asked if they are OK, and if they do not respond within 15 seconds, the app will notify the companion and the companion can take further action such as contacting help. The phone will also go into a panic mode, where it makes loud siren noises and gives the user a button they can press to call the police. The user also has the option to send their companion an update, such as “I am nervous,” or “I am OK.”
The most interesting part about the creation of this app is its reliance on the community of users. The development team, formed at the University of Michigan, has made their decisions strictly on the wishes of their users—basically a cyber waiter that always gets the orders correct. Their purpose of the creation of this app was to fight campus crime that they felt occurred too frequently. University of Michigan senior and co-founder of Companion Lexie Ernst states that their users are worldwide and range from children to senior citizens, and from students studying abroad to casual night strollers.
This app, though relatively new, has had over 500,000 sign-ups on Android and iOS in just the last week. More people worldwide are being proactive in their safety, and with this app, life is just that much easier. A tad creepy? Possibly, but who cares about that when it saves your life? No matter where you are, with Companion, you always have a direct link to safety and I truly hope everyone, especially my fellow Stevens students, consider using this app frequently. It may save a life.
