Personal safety for solo outdoors
Go alone. Leave word behind.
Choose a time to be back by. If you don't close the session in time, the person you picked is sent an alert with your location and your notes.
See how it worksHow it works
Three steps.
Only one is yours.
You set the time. WatchOn watches the clock, and asks you first. Your contact hears from us only if you don't answer.
- 01 / Before
Start a session
Before you head out, choose when you expect to be back. Your phone shares your location only while the session is running.
- 02 / On time
We check in with you first
When your time is up, WatchOn asks you before anyone else. Tap “I'm back”, or extend the session if the trail takes longer than you thought.
- 03 / If late
If you don't answer, your contact is alerted
Only then, and only if you didn't close the session in time: the person you chose is sent an alert with your location and the notes you prepared.
Privacy
Your location stays yours.
Location and notes are encrypted on your phone, and your contacts' names never leave it. Our server keeps a timer and data it holds no key for.
- Never seesYour location
- Never seesYour notes and where you are going
- Never seesYour contacts' names
- Never seesAnything to sell. There are no ads, trackers or cookies
Your person
Built around one
person you trust.
Check the digits together
Both phones show the same short number. If they match, nobody slipped in between you.
Invite in person or from afar
Show a QR code, or send a one-time code. No phone numbers, no address book.
Gone within a day
Expired sessions are deleted from our server within 24 hours. Restore backups of the database are kept for up to 7 more days.
Ads, trackers, cookies
You're the one being looked after, not the product.
Only they can open your alerts
Each alert is locked for that one contact. Not even we can read it on the way.
Plainly
An extra safety net.
Not an emergency service.
It won't call emergency services. It tells the person you chose, and they decide what to do. If you're in danger, call the emergency services yourself.
It can't promise delivery. An alert depends on battery, signal and notifications. Keep telling someone where you're going.
Questions
Good to know.
What is WatchOn?
WatchOn is a personal safety app for people who go out alone: hiking, trail running, cycling, climbing, or just heading home from the office. Before you leave, you set a time to be back by. If you don't close the session in time, someone you trust is sent an alert with your location and the notes you prepared for them.
What happens if I'm late?
WatchOn notifies you first, and gives you a few minutes to tap “I'm back” or extend the session. Only if you don't answer is your contact sent the alert.
Does WatchOn call emergency services?
No. WatchOn isn't an emergency service, and it won't make an emergency call for you. It alerts the person you chose, who decides what to do. If you're in danger, call the emergency services directly.
Does my contact need the app?
Yes. Alerts are delivered as push notifications through the WatchOn app, so the person you choose needs it installed on their phone and linked with yours. There are no SMS alerts.
Can WatchOn read my location or my notes?
No. Your location and notes are encrypted on your phone before they are sent, and your contacts' names never leave it. Our server stores a timer and data it has no key to read. Like any online service, it does see the IP address and the time of each request.
Is my location tracked all the time?
No. Your location is used only while a session is running, and stops when the session is over. Expired sessions are deleted from our server within 24 hours; restore backups of the database are kept for up to 7 more days, still encrypted.
Is an alert guaranteed to arrive?
No, and we would rather say so. An alert depends on your phone's battery and signal, on notification delivery and on your contact seeing it. WatchOn is an extra safety net, not a replacement for telling someone where you're going.
When can I download WatchOn?
WatchOn is coming soon to iPhone and Android.