Apps That Could Help Save Your Life

Aspire

Developed by the When Georgia Smiled: Robin McGraw Revelation Foundation, this sly little app appears, at first glance, like nothing more than a simple news feed. It doesn’t look to have any connection to domestic violence, a super smart feature when you figure that abusive partners likely closely monitor their victim’s phone activity.. To activate its superpowers, click on the “help” button and add one or more trusted contacts—friends and family. Next time you’re in a dangerous situation, simply return to the “Help” page and triple-tap the title bar at the top of the page. Your trusted contacts are then sent an SOS text or voice message that you need help.

Pro: Well-disguised so an abuser may be none the wiser.
Con: Takes a little bit of time to set up and figure out.
Downloads: Est. 100,000+

One Love MyPlan

Created by the One Love Foundation and aimed at college-age men and women, this app helps to assess the danger level of one’s current partner. After answering a series of questions—either for yourself or someone else—the app will give you a score of 0 to 20 on a danger scale, followed by an action plan to help you figure out what to do next.
Pro: Easy, quick to use. Also provides 24/7 advocate support through an embedded live chat feature.
Con: Developed based on research of women—doesn’t take into consideration male-only relationships or female on male violence.
Downloads: Est. 1,000+

R3

Short for Recognize, Respond and Refer, this app, designed by Harbor House of Central Florida, is a four-question screening tool that can determine whether someone is a victim of abuse. It’s made for both potential victims of either gender, and can also be used by advocates or other practitioners to screen someone else. It includes a search feature for nearby shelters and links to pertinent information about domestic abuse, though the database of programs is not at all comprehensive and is not provided in order of proximity.
Pro: Easy to figure out; tool is quick to assess threat level within a relationship.
Con: Functionality related to finding help is incomplete.
Downloads: Est. 1,000+

Important: With the exception of Aspire, most domestic violence-related apps are easily identified as such on one’s phone, posing a risk for survivors who are under scrutiny by an abuser. Please download only if you feel it’s safe to do so. While DomesticShelters.org does not have an app for this reason, it is mobile-enabled meaning you can access the website through a browser on your smartphone. Simply remember to clear your browser history and close out of your web browser each time after visiting the site on your phone. For more tips on safe online browsing, please click here.