SOS alert
An SOS alert is an immediate emergency notification that you trigger yourself when you need help — unlike the automatic check-in alert, which only fires when you don't check in. An SOS alert notifies your emergency contacts right away, with your current location if you choose.
The difference from the check-in system is the direction: the check-in alert arises from silence — it fires when your sign of life is missing. The SOS alert arises from your action — you trigger it deliberately, because something is wrong right now and you don't want to wait for the next deadline.
Important: an SOS alert in a check-in app does not replace your emergency number. It reaches the people you chose yourself, not a professional emergency dispatch centre. In an acute, life-threatening situation, always call your local emergency number first — the SOS alert additionally informs the people who know you and can reach you fast.
How Still OK does it
In Still OK you trigger SOS with a long press (3 seconds) — designed that way on purpose, so it doesn't happen by accident. A short countdown follows, which you can cancel; a double tap sends the alert immediately. Your contacts are reached on every active channel (email, WhatsApp, SMS), and a confirmation screen shows you, per contact, that the message went out. SOS is a Premium feature.
Miriam, 33, is home alone in the evening and hears something in the stairwell that frightens her. She doesn't want to call the emergency number yet, but she doesn't want to be alone with the feeling either. She holds down the SOS button — seconds later her partner and her best friend know where she is and that she needs someone right now.