A dead man's switch app for people who live alone
That's the whole idea behind a dead man's switch app: something that stays quiet as long as you're fine, and speaks up the moment you can't. You check in each day. If you don't, the people you've chosen are told — automatically.1
Check in, or the people you chose are told
What a “dead man's switch” actually means
A dead man's switch is a control that does its job by being released. On a train, the driver holds a handle; if they let go, the train stops on its own. The safety doesn't depend on someone raising the alarm — it triggers precisely because they can't. The same logic runs a factory press that opens the instant a hand leaves the button, and a radio operator's spring-loaded key.
That's exactly the problem when you live alone. A panic button only helps if you're conscious and able to reach it. But the situations people fear most — a fall, a stroke, a bad night — are the ones where you can't call for help. I'm Alive turns that around: your everyday “I'm okay” is the handle. Stop holding it, and the alert happens for you. Nobody has to notice you've gone quiet and decide to raise the alarm; your own silence is the trigger, and the app does the noticing.
Four steps, and only the last one involves anyone else
Nothing is sent while you're responding. The switch only “fires” when you've gone quiet past your own window.
Pick a daily window that fits your routine. It's the moment you'll tell the app you're okay.
One tap — from the app, the home-screen widget or your Apple Watch. That's the whole action.
A quiet nudge first. Missing it once by accident never sets anything off on its own.
The contacts you chose are notified that you've gone quiet — so someone can check on you.
A missed check-in tells the trusted contacts you chose — never an emergency service.3
Who a dead man's switch app is for
Anyone who spends long stretches with no one nearby to notice a bad turn. The people who set one up most often are:
People who live alone
If a day goes wrong at home, there's no housemate to raise the alarm. A daily check-in means someone is told within hours, not whenever you happen to be missed.
Older adults living independently
A quiet, one-tap routine gives grown children peace of mind without cameras, sensors in the home, or a monthly monitoring bill.
Lone workers and remote shifts
When your work takes you somewhere by yourself, a scheduled check-in confirms you finished the day safely — and flags it to your contact if you didn't.
Anyone managing a health condition
If a health event could leave you unable to reach the phone, the switch doesn't wait for you to act. I'm Alive isn't a medical device, but it makes sure your people find out you've gone quiet.
Your daily check-in doesn't track you2
A check-in records one thing: that you're okay. It carries no location. We share where you are only during a live SOS or an active journey — with the people you've named, and never as a background trail. If you want the details, the Trust Center spells out exactly what the app stores and for how long.
You decide who hears, and how often you check in1
Choose a daily, three-times-daily or weekly rhythm on the safety routines you set, and name the contacts who should be told if you go quiet. It's your switch — you set the trigger, and you can change it whenever your life does.
Arming your dead man's switch takes about two minutes
There's no hardware to buy and nothing to install in your home. Four short steps and the switch is watching.
Install the app on your iPhone or Android phone and create an account. The daily check-in is free forever — no card, no trial clock.
Choose the person who should hear if you go quiet — a family member, a friend, a neighbour. They don't need the app to receive the alert.
Set a daily, three-times-daily or weekly rhythm on your safety routine. This is the switch you're arming, and you can change it anytime.
Put the one-tap widget on your home screen, or check in from your Apple Watch, so the daily “I'm okay” takes a second and never gets forgotten.
One tap counts whether it comes from the app, the home-screen widget or your Apple Watch.4
A dead man's switch, not just a panic button
Both belong in a good safety net. They cover opposite kinds of bad day.
The dead man's switch
Works when you can't act. Miss your check-in and the alert happens without you lifting a finger — the case a panic button can never cover. It's the quiet watchman that only speaks up when you can't.
The SOS button
Works when you can act and need help now. A deliberate hold-to-send behind a confirmation screen, so a pocket press can't alert anyone. Between them, the two cover the day you reach for help and the day you can't.
Dead man's switch app: common questions
What is a dead man's switch app?
A dead man's switch is a control that works by being released rather than pressed — let go of the handle and it acts on its own. A dead man's switch app applies that idea to personal safety: you check in each day to show you're okay, and if a scheduled check-in passes with no response, the app alerts the trusted contacts you've named so someone can look in on you. I'm Alive is a dead man's switch built for people who live alone, and the daily check-in is free forever on iPhone and Android.
What happens if I miss my check-in?
Nothing fires the instant you're late. You get a gentle reminder on your own phone first, so a check-in you simply forgot never sets anything off by accident. Only if you stay quiet past the window you set does the app notify the contacts you chose that you've gone quiet. It alerts your own people — family, a friend, a neighbour — and never calls emergency services on your behalf.
Is the dead man's switch free?
Yes. The daily check-in and the missed-check-in alert are free on the Check In plan ($0), which holds one trusted contact and can send up to one alert a month if you go quiet, by push and email. Paid plans add more: Stay Protected ($29.99/yr) raises you to up to ten contacts with unlimited alerts and SMS escalation plus a second daily check-in window, and Complete Safety Net ($39.99/yr) adds the 3× Daily routine. Stay Connected & Travel Safely is a $4.99 one-time plan with a higher monthly alert cap than free.
Does the app track my location?
No. Your daily check-in records one thing — that you're okay — and carries no location at all. Location is shared only during a live SOS or an active journey, only with the contacts you've named, and never as a background trail. That's the difference between a check-in and a tracker: this switch watches for your silence, not your movements.
How often do I have to check in?
You choose the rhythm on your safety routine. Free and Lifetime plans get one scheduled check-in a day; Stay Protected adds a second daily window; the 3× Daily routine is part of Complete Safety Net. There's also a deliberately lighter weekly option on every plan — a rolling seven days from your last check-in, with a couple of gentle reminders and, about two days after it's due, one non-emergency note to a contact. Weekly is lighter monitoring, not the day-by-day escalation of the daily switch.
Can I check in without opening the app?
Yes. On current iPhones and on Android you can add a home-screen widget and check in with a single tap — it's a real check-in confirmed by our server, not just a shortcut that opens the app. iPhone owners can also check in from an Apple Watch. However you tap, it counts as your “I'm okay” for the day.
One tap, from wherever you are
Check in from the app, a home-screen widget, or your Apple Watch. The daily check-in is free forever on iPhone and Android. Paid plans add more: Stay Protected ($29.99/yr) brings a second daily check-in, up to ten contacts and unlimited alerts with SMS; Complete Safety Net ($39.99/yr) adds the 3× Daily routine on top.1