The fall season can be a particularly busy time for many parents. Between coordinating Thanksgiving plans, spending more time behind the wheel, and managing children’s schedule changes, downloading safety apps for parents on your phone makes more sense than ever before.
From real-time traffic apps to keep you safer on the road to apps that allow you to track your family members’ whereabouts, there are a handful of smart mobile tools to consider downloading this time of year.
Read on to learn about some of the best safety apps for parents, especially as Thanksgiving approaches. The following apps can not only promote safety but help simplify daily life and bring peace of mind.
Table of contents
1. iSharing
Thanksgiving is a great opportunity to help older parents or grandparents get started with iSharing. While the family is together, you can install the app on their phones, help them set up location sharing, and show them how to use it. It’s a simple way to stay connected and look out for one another, even after the holiday gathering ends.
The iSharing safety app helps families stay connected without tedious back-and-forth conversations and manual check-ins, thanks to live GPS location tracking with automated arrival and departure alerts.
Beyond staying connected with older family members, iSharing is also useful for parents with children. Whether you’ll be staying home with your kids during fall break or coordinating childcare, knowing where your children are is important. After all, the busy fall season can make it more challenging to keep track of loved ones, especially with the influx of fall events and crowded gatherings.
iSharing also allows families to receive emergency SOS alerts, check driving reports, and share their locations to make meeting up easier.
Notable Features:
- Real-Time location tracking
- Arrival/departure notifications
- Location history
- Driver safety features
- SOS alerts
2. Waze
With school out, more people out shopping for upcoming gatherings, and people traveling to visit family this time of year, traffic is bound to be more backed up than usual. You can’t control how packed the roads are, but you can navigate them with more caution when using a traffic safety app.
Waze is a popular traffic and navigation map with no upfront costs or subscription fees. Users can use the app for live traffic directions, road alerts, and effortless rerouting in the event of a traffic jam or other on-the-road incident. Ultimately, Waze can make driving in holiday traffic congestion easier and less stressful.
This application can be particularly useful when making a trip to visit loved ones for Thanksgiving or vacationing in an unfamiliar area this season. It can also come in handy when navigating the road during bad weather.
Notable Features:
- Voice-assisted navigation
- Accident alerts
- Road closure notifications
- Speed limit display
- Gas station locator
3. Truecaller
The cooler-weather holidays may be approaching, but the spam calls don’t stop. If anything, scammers may take advantage of those distracted by upcoming celebrations and festivities. With holiday shopping, package deliveries, and travel bookings increasing around Thanksgiving, fraudulent calls and messages can be particularly concerning.
Truecaller is a popular safety app designed to help users steer clear of becoming victims of fraud. This app helps one identify incoming spam calls, automatically block suspicious calls and texts, and know the identity of who’s calling them from an unknown number.
For parents, this not only means fewer chances of being deceived by scammers but also fewer phone calls interrupting crucial family time during the holidays.
Notable Features:
- Caller ID
- Spam call warnings
- Call screening
- Reverse phone number lookup
- Suspicious text filtering
4. Nextdoor
While you’re distracted by the changing foliage and thoughts of preparing a warm Thanksgiving dinner, there are still crimes and unfortunate incidents happening around you. In fact, certain crimes such as burglaries are more common during the months of November and December. This is where the Nextdoor app comes in handy.
Nextdoor is a social networking platform designed to keep people in the loop about what’s going on in their neighborhood and general community. Users can use this safety app to become aware of nearby crimes, crucial weather reports, and local emergencies.
The app is also frequently used to coordinate assistance, ask members of the community important questions, or inquire about lost or found pets.
Notable Features:
- Safety alerts
- Neighborhood happenings
- Lost & found
- Community help requests
- Local recommendations
5. AirNow
With school out for fall break, parents can expect their children to spend more time playing outside. However, with more fireplaces burning during the cooler weather, plus seasonal agricultural activities taking place, the air quality may not always be the greatest this time of year.
Safety apps for parents like EPA’s AirNow allow you to monitor the current and future air quality of your area and nearby cities. This way, you can plan your family’s outdoor outings accordingly. This is especially important if you have an air-quality-sensitive member in your household.
Notable Features:
- Current air quality index (AQI)
- Future air quality forecasts
- Wildfire smoke maps
- Outdoor activity recommendations
- Past air quality readings
FAQ
What is a safety app?
A safety app is a mobile program designed to improve personal and/or family safety with features like automatic location tracking, severe weather alerts, or emergency SOS.
What types of safety apps for parents are out there?
Available options include traffic safety apps, spam call protection apps, medical apps, wildfire safety apps, neighborhood apps, and more.
Are safety apps free?
Yes, many safety apps are free. Some safety apps may have an upfront cost to download or paid premium features.
Why should parents download safety apps on their phone?
Parents can use safety apps to ensure the safety of themselves, their children, or other loved ones. Likewise, these apps can be used to help family members keep tabs on their parents.
Can safety apps help in an emergency?
Yes, safety apps can often help users avoid critical situations or contact emergency personnel / a loved one if they feel unsafe, depending on the app’s features.
Which safety apps for parents are best?
Popular safety apps for parents include family location trackers, neighborhood alert apps, and voice-assisted navigation.
