BigHelpButton
An app for iPhone
A help button for someone close to you
BigHelpButton turns an iPhone into a simple help button. The screen shows one large red HELP button. When it's pressed, the app finds the location and prepares one message to the family: who needs help, where they are and what time it is. The family sets it all up once, in about 3 minutes.
Coming soon to the App Store
- iPhone, iOS 17 or later
- 29 languages
- One-time purchase, no subscription
Who it's for
Mainly older people who live alone or often go out on their own. It also works for someone with a disability who finds a phone hard to use, and for a child who already has their own iPhone. All it needs is someone in the family to set it up and receive the messages.
How it works
Pressing the button
The red button takes up most of the screen. There are no menus or icons next to it that could be pressed by mistake.
One confirmation
The app finds the location and opens a ready message. Pressing the blue arrow sends it, and a voice says what to do.
The family gets the message
Everyone on the list gets one text or iMessage with a map link and the time. They don't need the app.
The second step can't be skipped. iOS doesn't let any app send a text message without someone pressing Send.
What the person asking for help sees
The main screen has only the HELP button, the green I'M OKAY button and a line saying who the message goes to. The settings are behind a small "For family" button that has to be held for 3 seconds.
After sending, a big green "Sent" screen appears. If something goes wrong, for example there's no signal, the app says so plainly and shows a big "Try again" button.
Voice guidance says out loud what is happening: that the app is finding the location, that it's time to press the blue arrow, and that the message went out. When the battery drops below 20%, a warning appears on the main screen.
The green I'M OKAY button sends a calming message, for example after an accidental press or after a phone call. The family can turn it off.
Sent.
Your family will get your message.
In an emergency, call 112.
Back to start
Not sent
The message did not go out.
TRY AGAIN
Close
Set up by the family
A step-by-step setup asks for a name, contacts, the message, location permission, a PIN and a test message. It takes about 3 minutes and is done by someone in the family, not by the senior.
You can add up to 10 people. One of them is the main contact and comes first in the message. Numbers can be typed in or picked from Contacts, and the app then sees only the one number you picked.
The ready-made message can be changed to your own words. The name, the map link and the time are added automatically. At the end, the setup offers a test message clearly marked TEST, so everyone knows what a real one looks like.
Back
Step 2 of 8
Who should get the message?
Add at least one person. Mark the most important one as the main contact.
Continue
Back
Step 3 of 8
What should the message say?
A ready-made text is filled in. Change it if you like.
Your words at the end of the message
Please call me or come. If I don't answer, call 112.
Your family will get:
HELP - Grandma Eva needs help.
Location: https://maps.google.com/?q=51.52810,-0.14710
Time: 9:41
Please call me or come. If I don't answer, call 112.
Continue
Settings behind a PIN
Family settings open when you hold the small "For family" button for 3 seconds and enter a 4-digit PIN. The senior doesn't need to know it. The PIN protects against changes made by accident, not against someone who really wants to get in.
When the PIN is set, the app creates a recovery code, which the family sends by text to the main contact. If the PIN is forgotten, that code lets you set a new one.
The settings also show when and to whom the last message went. A monthly reminder can be turned on as a nudge to send a test now and then.
Family settings
The green button can be pressed at any time, e.g. after a false alarm.
Family settings
Enter the 4-digit PIN
Forgot PIN?
Without looking for the icon
HELP can also be started from a widget on the Home Screen or the Lock Screen, and on newer iPhones with the Action Button. Siri works too: "Hey Siri, press Help Button", depending on the Siri language.
Every time, Send still has to be pressed in the Messages screen.
29 languages
The app follows the iPhone's language, and the family can change it in the settings. Languages:
English, Polish, German, Spanish, Portuguese, French, Italian, Ukrainian, Dutch, Czech, Slovak, Swedish, Danish, Norwegian, Finnish, Hungarian, Romanian, Greek, Croatian, Russian, Simplified Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Hindi, Arabic, Turkish, Indonesian, Vietnamese and Thai.
Privacy
The app has no account, server, ads, analytics or subscription. The data stays on the iPhone, and the developer never receives it.
The location is read only after HELP or I'M OKAY is pressed, and goes only to the people the family chose.
Read the privacy policyRequirements
- iPhone with iOS 17 or later.
- Able to send text messages or iMessage.
- Location permission "While Using the App". Without it, the message goes out without a map link.
Price
A one-time purchase, with no subscription and no in-app purchases. With Family Sharing you buy it once and can install it on the senior's phone too.
Questions
Will the app call for help by itself?
No. It sends a message to the family. For medical help, call your emergency number.
What if someone presses HELP by accident?
Nothing is sent until they press Send. And if it was sent, the green I'M OKAY button lets the family know.
What if there's no location?
The message is still prepared, saying "Location unavailable" or giving the last known position and its time.
Does the family need the app?
No. They get a normal text or iMessage and can open the map link on any phone.
We forgot the PIN. What now?
In the PIN screen, choose "Forgot PIN?" and enter the recovery code from the text sent to the main contact.
