‘Trusted Contacts’ by Google, A Personal Safety App That Lets You Share Your Location With Loved Ones

Trusted Contacts by Google is a personal safety app that lets users share their location with others, or request the location of a loved one in an emergency. Users manage their list of contacts that can view their location, and the app can even work when the phone is offline by reporting the phone’s last known location to a trusted contact.

Google explains how the app works using a hypothetical example of two friends who plan to meet up after one of them goes for a hike.

Elliot heads out for a hike on his own, telling Thelma he’ll meet her for coffee later. About an hour in, Elliot realizes he’s strayed off the path and lost service. When Elliot doesn’t show up at the coffee shop, Thelma starts to worry. Because Trusted Contacts works even if a phone is offline, Thelma requests Elliot’s location and in five minutes can see that his last known location was in the middle of the canyon. Thelma calls the nearest ranger station, they send out a rescue party, and find Elliot in a few hours.

Trusted Contacts is available now in the Google Play store.