Yes. They are usually called check-in apps. You confirm you are fine on a rhythm you choose, and if that confirmation does not arrive, the people you named are asked to get in touch. Y.O.D.O. is one of them, and this piece is as much about what an app like this cannot do as about what it can.
Why people look for one
Living alone is a way of life, and for a lot of people a good one. Most days are fine. The question that sends people searching is a small one that does not quite go away: if I went quiet for a few days, would anyone notice, and who would it be?
An "are you OK" app is an answer to that question, and only that question. It helps to be clear about that before choosing one.
What does an "are you OK" app actually do?
The idea is simple. You agree a rhythm. At that time you are asked whether you are fine, and you answer. If you answer, nothing else happens. If you do not, the app follows up with you, and if you still have not answered, it tells the people you chose.
In Y.O.D.O. it works like this, as the site describes it today:
- You get a short Check-in email on the schedule you set, and you tap once. The free companion app for iPhone and Android lets you check in with one tap, and you can also use Y.O.D.O. entirely from a browser.
- Standard checks in weekly, fortnightly or monthly. Premium and Supreme add daily.
- If you miss a Check-in, nothing happens straight away. Reminders are sent 8, 16 and 24 hours after your scheduled time, and after that about once a day.
- Your Delegates are contacted only when the buffer you chose runs out (8, 16, 24 or 48 hours from your scheduled time), one at a time or all at once, as you set. They are asked to confirm whether you are OK.
- If you check in at any point, everything resolves quietly.
Most missed Check-ins are simply forgotten, and the reminders are there for exactly that.
Is being asked the same as being tracked?
No, and for many people who live alone this is the part that matters most.
A lot of safety apps work by watching: location sharing, movement sensors, a phone that reports where you are. A check-in app works the other way round. It asks, and you answer. Silence is the only thing it treats as a signal.
Y.O.D.O. has no location tracking and no background monitoring of any kind. Your Delegates see your name, the date of your last confirmed Check-in and whether action is needed. They cannot read your messages, see your location or billing details, or log into your account.
Who should you name?
An app like this is only as good as the people on the other end of it. A Delegate does not have to be family. It can be a friend, a neighbour, a solicitor or a volunteer from a befriending charity. They can live anywhere, and being a Delegate is always free.
If you live alone with a pet, it is worth naming at least one Delegate who lives near enough to go round. There is more on choosing in how to choose your Delegates.
What it is not
It is worth being plain about this, because buying the wrong thing is common.
- It is not an emergency service. Y.O.D.O. does not contact emergency services, police or hospitals. If someone is in immediate danger, contact your local emergency services.
- It is not a medical device. It cannot detect falls, medical events or health changes.
- It works in hours, not seconds. If what you need is help within minutes, a personal alarm with a monitoring centre is the right tool. Personal alarms, telecare and check-ins sets out what each one does.
So, is there one?
Yes. Whether it suits you depends on the question you want answered. If it is "would someone notice if I went quiet for a while", a check-in app answers it, without anyone watching you in between. If it is "who would come in an emergency", it does not, and something else should.
You can try Y.O.D.O. free for 14 days with no card required, and the page for people who live alone shows how it fits around a life lived on your own terms.
Most days, nothing happens at all. You check in, and you get on with your day. That is the point.