Everyone has been there. Whether you were at the local bar, studying late in the library, or frat hopping, it’s time for you to head home. The only problem? You’re alone and want at least one person to know where you are. You consider texting your roommate, but it’s a Thursday night and she has an 8 a.m to be up for. Calling your parents at 2 a.m also isn’t the smartest of ideas. Instead of waking up half your friend group or ending the party too soon for the other half, you decide to make the trek home and hope you aren’t bothered.
Thanks to the Companion App, created by five University of Michigan students, you’ll never walk home alone again. Simple to use and free for IOS and Android users, Companion uses your destination and maps your path home. If you make any detour from the path, start running or your phone senses a fall, the app will ask “Are You Okay?”. If 15 seconds pass and you haven’t answered, an alarm will blare to scare off the attacker. You’ll also have the option to call or immediately alert the police. Another feature is the “I Feel Nervous” button, which allows you to report areas around campus where you feel unsafe. This information will be passed on to campus safety officials, who then can work on making those certain areas more safe for students. The Companion gives you the option to upload contacts as well, and after you choose your destination, the contact or contacts you’ve chosen can track your location, call you or call the police. Want to add your mom and her flip phone to your contacts? No problem. Companion will text your contact a link to your tracked location, no iPhone or Galaxy required.
This past week, I decided to take the Companion App out with me for girls night in Greek Town to test if the app was really worth all the hype. Our walks from house to house didn’t warrant a virtual companion, but nearing midnight, our group of girls left Greek Town to head to a party across campus. Before we took off on our twenty minute walk, I plugged in the address of the fraternity and choose a friend back home in Chicago, my dad, and a girl on my dorm floor as my trusted contacts. Companion didn’t require me to hold my phone out or watch the map, I simply set the phone back into my purse.
Forgetting I even had my virtual friend, we made a quick detour to Dominos to grab a pizza to eat on the way. As soon as we made a wrong turn from our scheduled directions, the alarm blared through my purse, loud enough to make us all jump. I quickly grabbed my phone and clicked the “Are You Okay?” button and changed our destination to Dominos. The app was simple to use and without many features, it was hassle-free and quick to the point. As we left with pizza in hand, I merely changed our destination back to the fraternity, and we were on our way.
By the end of the night, our group of eight girls had dwindled down to just two of us, excluding the virtual companion in my purse. It was nearing 3 a.m. and the party was fading off into the upcoming morning. Although our dorm was a little over half a mile from the house, we set off into the night with my trusted contacts having our location. We arrived back at the dorm with no issues and the app alerted my contacts that I had made it back safe.
Although my experience with the Companion App was exceptional, I wish that I had done a few things ahead of time. After you download the app, choose your contacts for the night a few hours ahead of time. I didn’t know that your contacts have to accept your request. It may be slightly difficult to get your mom to accept your request at 2 a.m. Another tip? Take it for a test run to familiarize yourself. On your way to class, the gym, or a chapter meeting, plan your route and follow it using Companion. So when that late night comes and you just want to get home, you won’t become a target by standing in the dark, fixated on securing a safe ride home.
For the five minutes it took for me to set up Companion, I received the best return; peace of mind.