BuddySOS for Burning Man
BuddySOS is a free safety app for Burning Man attendees travelling in groups. Live GPS for your camp, one-tap SOS, and group chat — useful before you arrive on the Playa and during travel days, though Burning Man itself is largely cell-disconnected.
Why a festival app for Burning Man?
Burning Man is a multi-day temporary city in the Black Rock Desert of Nevada, with extreme conditions, an explicit no-commerce / no-spectator culture, and famously limited cell signal once you're on the Playa. BuddySOS is most useful for travel days, the gate-line wait, and the post-burn return to civilization — the period when groups separate, signal returns intermittently, and people genuinely need to find each other.
Black Rock City is the second-largest city in Nevada for one week each year. The gate-line backup can be 8+ hours. Travel days into and out of Reno are when groups most often separate, and that's exactly when BuddySOS's live GPS and one-tap SOS matter most.
How BuddySOS helps at Burning Man
- Live GPS for travel days — the gate-line backup into Black Rock City, and the post-burn drive back to Reno.
- One-tap SOS that works any time you have signal (entering / leaving Playa, when you go off-Playa for supplies).
- Group chat with pin-the-meeting-spot for the Reno hotel block, the airport, and any pre/post Burning Man gatherings.
- Battery Saver Mode tuned for the 7+ day Burning Man timeline.
Questions about BuddySOS at Burning Man
Does BuddySOS work on the Playa at Burning Man?
Cell signal on the Playa is intermittent at best and BuddySOS depends on connectivity for live updates. The app is most useful for travel days, the gate-line wait, and trips off-Playa. We do not recommend depending on BuddySOS as your only group-finding mechanism inside Black Rock City — pair it with a clear meeting plan and physical landmarks.
Ready for Burning Man? Get the app.
Free on iOS and Android. Create your festival group, send the invite, be ready before you fly out.