Alert My Fam
An app for iPhone
Tell your family what's happening. One tap.
Alert My Fam is for the moments when the people closest to you need to know, and fast. You tap a big coloured button and the app writes a clear message: your name, what's going on, where you are and what time it is. Then you tap Send.
Coming soon to the App Store
- iPhone, iOS 17 or later
- 11 languages
- Free, Premium is a one-time purchase
Alert My Fam messages the people you choose. It doesn't call the police, an ambulance or the fire service. In an emergency, call 112 or your local emergency number.
How it works
Three steps, and the last one is always yours
Tap a button
Up to four large tiles on the home screen, one for each situation. They're big and well spaced, so you can hit the right one even with shaking hands.
The app fills in the details
Your name, a ready sentence, a map link to where you are and the time. You see the whole message before it goes anywhere.
You tap Send
The message opens in Apple's Messages app, already written. iPhone always asks you to confirm, so nothing leaves without you.
That last step is an iPhone rule, not a design choice. No app is allowed to send a text message on its own.
Buttons
Fourteen situations, four on your screen
The app comes with ready-made buttons for the situations people most often need to tell someone about. Some are about health, like low blood sugar or an epileptic aura. Others are everyday things: pick me up, the car broke down, I'm home. During setup you choose up to four for the home screen, and you can swap them later.
Every button can be changed. Give it another name, icon or colour, and rewrite its message in your own words. You can also start from a blank one.
- I Need HelpEveryone
- I Feel AuraEpilepsy
- Low Blood SugarDiabetes
- I've FallenSeniors
- I Feel UnwellChronic conditions
- Allergic ReactionAllergies
- Panic AttackAnxiety
- Asthma AttackAsthma
- I'm LostChildren, seniors
- I Feel UnsafeTravel, night-time
- Pick Me UpKids and teens
- Car TroubleDrivers
- Call Me NowAwkward situations
- I'm HomeTeens, going out
- Write your ownYour words
The message
What your family gets
An ordinary text or iMessage. They don't need the app, and the map link opens on any phone.
- Who it's from, and that it's an alert.
- What's happening, in plain words. Each button has its own sentence, and you can rewrite it.
- A map link to where you are. If the position is only rough, the message says how rough.
- The time you sent it, so nobody has to wonder whether the message is old.
- With four or more people, an optional line asks them not to all call at once and names your primary contact.
Everyday messages
Buttons like I'm Home or Call Me Now start with just your name instead of ALERT, so nobody gets a fright.
A test first
The test message says clearly that everything is fine and explains what the app is. It's an easy way to tell people they're on your list, and to check that your messages actually reach them.
Location
A location that doesn't pretend
When you tap a button, the app waits up to five seconds for an accurate position. If you can't wait, one tap sends the message straight away.
If the position is rough, the message gives its accuracy in metres. If only an older position is available, it says when that position was recorded, so it's never passed off as current. The location is read only while the app is open, never in the background.
Location: https://maps.google.com/?q=51.51243,-0.12297Location (accuracy about 850 m): https://maps.google.com/?q=51.5131,-0.1236Last known location: https://maps.google.com/?q=51.51190,-0.12402
Location recorded at: 17:52Setup
Ready in about a minute
On first launch the app asks for your name, which goes at the start of every message. Then you pick the buttons for the home screen and add your first contact.
Contacts can be picked from your address book or typed in, with a number from any country. When you pick someone from Contacts, the app gets only that one person, not your whole address book.
At the end, the app offers to send a test message, so your contacts know what to expect.
Choose your buttons
Pick up to 4 situations for your home screen. You can change them any time in Settings.
Selected: 2 of 4
Add your first contact
This person will receive your alerts. You can add more in Settings.
Choose from Contacts
Emma Clarke
+44 7700 900241
Tip: include the country code, e.g. +48 600 111 222.
Contacts
Who gets which message
One person is your primary contact and always gets the message first. Everyone else can get every alert, or only the ones you choose. A friend might only get Pick Me Up, while your family gets everything.
By default each person gets their own message, so nobody ends up in a group chat. iPhone then asks you to tap Send once per person. If you'd rather tap once, switch to one group message, but then everyone sees everyone's replies.
The free version has one contact. Premium allows up to 15.
Separate message to each person
No group chat. One Send per person, primary contact first.
One group message
One tap on Send. Replies go to everyone.
Settings
After the alert
The "I'm okay" and the list
When things have calmed down, the I'M OKAY button sends a short update. It goes only to the people who actually received your alert, not to everyone on your list.
The app also shows who was reached. If you cancelled one of the messages or something failed, you see it on the list and can send it again to that person, or clear the list with one tap. Progress is saved after every message, even if the app closes halfway.
Partly sent
Some messages weren't sent. You can try again below.
Current location includedStarted 18:24
I'M OKAY
Clear Unsent Messages
Back to Home
New iMessage
ALERT from Sam: I need help. Please call me or come to my location.
Location: https://maps.google.com/?q=51.51243,-0.12297
Alert sent: 18:24
Delivered
UPDATE from Sam: I'm okay now and no longer need assistance. Thank you for checking on me.
Sent: 18:39
ITheThanks
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123EN
Widgets
Without looking for the app
A button can sit right on the Home Screen: a single one, or all four in one widget. It can also go on the Lock Screen or in Control Center.
Tapping a widget opens the app and starts that alert straight away. You still confirm each message with Send.
Anyone who picks up your phone can see the Lock Screen. That's why button names can be hidden, separately for the Home Screen and the Lock Screen, so only the icons show.
Widgets need iOS 18 or later.
Wednesday 30 September
21:47
Nothing leaves your iPhone unless you send it
No account, no sign-up and no servers. Your name, contacts and buttons are stored only on your iPhone. There are no ads, no tracking and no analytics.
Your location goes only into the message you send, to the people you picked. I never see it.
11 languages
The app follows your iPhone's language.
- English
- Polski
- Deutsch
- Español
- Português
- Français
- Italiano
- Українська
- Nederlands
- Čeština
- Slovenčina
Price
Free, or Premium once
Free
Enough for one person
- Up to 4 alert buttons
- 1 trusted contact
- Every other feature
Premium
One-time purchase, no subscription
- Up to 4 alert buttons
- Up to 15 trusted contacts
- Restore on your other devices with the same Apple Account
No ads in either version. Messages go out from your own iPhone, so your carrier's usual rates apply.
Requirements
- iPhone with iOS 17 or later.
- Widgets and Control Center need iOS 18 or later.
- Location permission "While Using the App". Without it, alerts go out without a map link.
Questions
Will the app call emergency services?
No. It prepares messages to the people you picked. In an emergency, call 112 or your local emergency number.
Do my contacts need the app?
No. They get an ordinary text or iMessage, and the map link opens on any phone.
What if I tap a button by accident?
Nothing is sent until you tap Send. And if a message did go out, I'M OKAY lets everyone who got it know you're fine.
What if there's no GPS signal?
The message still goes. It uses the last known position with the time it was recorded, or says that the location is unavailable.
Is there a subscription?
No. The app is free with one contact. Premium, for up to 15 contacts, is a single purchase.
