Powered by safety expert: Laura van den brink (KOTINOS)

The Get Home Safe Guide

Everything we'd tell our best friend about feeling safe out there. Honest tips, a quick check-in, and things worth sharing with your group chat. Because feeling safe and looking good were never meant to be a choice.

Take the 2-minute Safety Check

Read the tips

TRUST YOUR GUT. Text when you're home LOUD WHEN IT MATTERS. TRUST YOUR GUT. Text when you're home LOUD WHEN IT MATTERS. TRUST YOUR GUT. Text when you're home LOUD WHEN IT MATTERS. TRUST YOUR GUT. Text when you're home LOUD WHEN IT MATTERS. TRUST YOUR GUT. Text when you're home LOUD WHEN IT MATTERS. TRUST YOUR GUT. Text when you're home LOUD WHEN IT MATTERS.

Quick check-in

The 2-minute Safety Check

Eight quick questions about your everyday routines. There are no right or wrong answers and nothing is saved. You'll get your profile, three tips that fit you, and a few quick wins.

Trust your gut.
Does a person or situation feel off? You don't have to wait until you're certain there's danger. Cross the street, change direction, or step inside a café.
Take your earbuds out.
Your ears pick up things your eyes might miss, like footsteps behind you or someone approaching. Take your earbuds out, especially in quiet areas or after dark.
Stay aware of your surroundings.
Don't just look straight ahead. Check beside and behind you regularly. Who's nearby? Where are other people, and where could you go inside if you needed to?
Choose your route carefully.
At night, choose well-lit streets where there are still people around. Take a slightly longer route instead of cutting through an empty park or a quiet alley.
And of course: keep your BLOQ siren within reach!
Keep it somewhere you can grab it immediately, rather than buried at the bottom of your bag. Know how to activate it so you can draw attention if you feel threatened. Use that moment to create distance and seek help.
Meet the SIREN Pro →

Pick your moment

Safety guides by situation

Pick the moment that sounds like your week.

Powered by safety expert: Laura van den brink (KOTINOS)

Walking home at night
- Plan your route before you leave and pick well-lit, busier streets, even if they take a few minutes longer.
- Tell someone when you leave, and text them when you're home.
- Keep your phone charged and have your keys ready before you reach your door.
- Keep one earbud out or the volume low so you can hear what's around you.
- If a street feels off, trust that feeling. Cross over, change direction, or pop into a shop or café.
Cycling at night
- Use proper lights front and back, and wear something reflective so others see you early.
- Choose routes with bike lanes and street lighting over shortcuts through quiet parks.
- Keep your phone mounted or in a zipped pocket so you're not digging for it on the move.
- Park in a busy, well-lit spot and lock the frame, not just the wheel.
- Text a friend your arrival time and let them know when you've made it.
Going out
- Decide with your friends how everyone is getting home before the night starts.
- Keep an eye on your drink, and skip anything you didn't see being poured.
- Charge your phone before you go and carry a small power bank, so you never end the night at 2%.
- Clip your alarm somewhere you can grab it without looking. Bonus: it goes with your outfit.
- Leave together, arrive together, and text the group chat when you're home.
Running alone
- Vary your route and timing now and then so you're not predictable.
- Keep one earbud out or the volume low so you can hear footsteps, bikes and traffic.
- Share your live location with someone for the length of your run.
- Carry your Medical ID on your phone, and a small light for early mornings or evenings.
- Pick routes with other people around, and turn back if a stretch feels too quiet.
First dates
- Meet somewhere public and busy, and get there under your own steam.
- Tell a friend who you're meeting, where, and roughly when you'll check in.
- Share your live location with them for the evening.
- Keep your own drink in sight and your phone charged.
- You never owe anyone an explanation for leaving early. Plans can change at any time.
Travelling solo
- Save your accommodation address offline and look up the local emergency number before you arrive.
- Share your itinerary and live location with someone you trust at home.
- Work out how to get from the station or airport to your stay in daylight, if you can.
- Keep a copy of your documents somewhere separate from the originals.
- Chat with the people at your hostel or hotel desk. They often know which areas feel great at night.
Public transport
- Wait in well-lit spots near other people, or near the driver or station staff.
- Sit near the driver or in a busy carriage, and keep your bag in front of you.
- Check the last connection before you leave, so you're not waiting alone late at night.
- If someone makes you uncomfortable, move seats or carriages. You don't owe anyone politeness.
- Share your arrival time with a friend and text when you're home.

Five-minute setup

Set up your phone in 5 minutes

Do this once and you'll be glad you did. Menu names vary slightly between phones and software versions.

1. Open Settings and tap Emergency SOS.
2. Choose how you want to start it, for example holding the side and volume buttons.
3. Practice the gesture once, and cancel before the call connects.
1. Open the Health app and tap your profile picture.
2. Tap Medical ID, then Edit.
3. Under Emergency Contacts, tap Add Emergency Contact and pick someone you trust.
1. In the Health app, open Medical ID and tap Edit.
2. Add anything that could help in an emergency, like allergies or medication.
3. Turn on Show When Locked so it can be seen from your lock screen.
1. Open Messages and the chat with your friend.
2. Tap their name at the top, then Share, and choose how long.
3. Or open Find My, tap People, and share your location from there.
1. Open Settings and tap Safety and emergency (the name varies by brand).
2. Tap Emergency SOS and turn it on.
3. Note the shortcut, such as pressing the power button five times, and practice it once.
1. Open Settings, then Safety and emergency.
2. Tap Emergency contacts.
3. Add one or two people you trust.
1. Open Settings, then Safety and emergency.
2. Tap Medical information and fill in what could help in an emergency.
3. Turn on the option to show it from the lock screen.
1. Open Google Maps and tap your profile picture.
2. Tap Location sharing, then New share.
3. Choose a friend and how long to share for.

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Settings

Emergency SOS shortcut

1Open Settings and tap Emergency SOS.

2Choose how you want to start it, for example holding the side and volume buttons.

3Practice the gesture once, and cancel before the call connects.

Done ✓

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Health

Emergency contacts

1Open the Health app and tap your profile picture.

2Tap Medical ID, then Edit.

3Under Emergency Contacts, tap Add Emergency Contact and pick someone you trust.

Done ✓

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Health

Medical ID

1In the Health app, open Medical ID and tap Edit.

2Add anything that could help in an emergency, like allergies or medication.

3Turn on Show When Locked so it can be seen from your lock screen.

Done ✓

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Messages

Share your live location

1Open Messages and the chat with your friend.

2Tap their name at the top, then Share, and choose how long.

3Or open Find My, tap People, and share your location from there.

Done ✓

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Settings

Emergency SOS shortcut

1Open Settings and tap Safety and emergency (the name varies by brand).

2Tap Emergency SOS and turn it on.

3Note the shortcut, such as pressing the power button five times, and practice it once.

Done ✓

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Settings

Emergency contacts

1Open Settings, then Safety and emergency.

2Tap Emergency contacts.

3Add one or two people you trust.

Done ✓

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Settings

Medical information

1Open Settings, then Safety and emergency.

2Tap Medical information and fill in what could help in an emergency.

3Turn on the option to show it from the lock screen.

Done ✓

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Google Maps

Share your live location

1Open Google Maps and tap your profile picture.

2Tap Location sharing, then New share.

3Choose a friend and how long to share for.

Done ✓

Group chat rule

The home-safe pact

The easiest safety habit there is: when you get home, you text the group. It takes five seconds and means nobody has to wonder.

Leaving? Say when you'll be home.
Home? Text the group.
No text by then? Someone calls.

Send the pact to your group

The 5 Ds

How to help someone else

Safety is something we do for each other. The 5 Ds are simple ways to step in. Pick the one that fits the moment and feels safe to you.

Distract

Interrupt the situation without confronting anyone. Ask for directions, drop something, or start a chat as if you know the person being bothered.
Delegate

Get help from others. Ask a bartender, driver, security guard or someone nearby to step in with you.
Document

If it's safe, record what's happening and hand it to the person involved or the authorities. Never post it online without their permission.
Delay

Check in afterwards. Ask if they're okay, stay with them, and offer to help report it or get home safely.
Direct

Say something clearly and calmly, like "Leave her alone", but only if you feel safe doing it. Your safety counts too.