# BuddySOS

> BuddySOS is a real-time group safety app for iOS and Android. Groups share live GPS location on a private map, and one tap sends an SOS with live location to the group and a text to emergency contacts. Used by families, friends, event crews, security teams, and lone workers.

## Key facts

- Free to download on iOS and Android. Mobile only, no web or desktop app.
- Live location, one-tap SOS, SMS alerts to emergency contacts, and safe-zone alerts are free on every plan.
- A free account covers one group and one safe zone, with ads. An optional $1.99 a month subscription removes ads and adds more groups (up to 10) and zones (up to 5 per group).
- One-tap SOS alerts every member of the group with live location and keeps broadcasting after the screen locks.
- SOS also texts emergency contacts over SMS with a location link. Contacts do not need the app.
- BuddySOS does not contact emergency services and has no fall or crash detection.
- No location history is stored. Location is shared only inside groups a person has joined and is never sold.
- Location data is encrypted in transit and at rest. It is not end-to-end encrypted.
- Sign-in uses a phone number and a one-time text code. No email or social login.
- Built by Kingbird Solutions LLC, a US company. Founder: Chris King.

## Core pages

- [Home](https://buddysos.app/): What BuddySOS is and who it is for.
- [Features](https://buddysos.app/features): Every shipped feature, with update intervals, limits, and pricing.
- [How it works](https://buddysos.app/how-it-works): Setup, sharing location, and using SOS.
- [For staff](https://buddysos.app/staff): Deploying BuddySOS to event, venue, and security staff.
- [BuddySOS vs Life360](https://buddysos.app/vs/life360): Pricing, location history, and data-sale comparison.
- [BuddySOS vs Find My](https://buddysos.app/vs/find-my-friends): Cross-platform comparison with Apple Find My.
- [FAQs](https://buddysos.app/faqs): Privacy, battery, signal, pricing, and setup questions.
- [About](https://buddysos.app/about): Company, founder, and values.
- [Download](https://buddysos.app/download): App Store and Google Play links.

## Features

- [One-Tap SOS](https://buddysos.app/features#one-tap-sos): BuddySOS's one-tap SOS button alerts your group with live location, works while your phone is locked, and includes a fallback if push notifications fail.
- [Live Buddy Tracking](https://buddysos.app/features#live-buddy-tracking): See how BuddySOS updates your group's live map: background GPS every 30m/45s, synced to the server every 20s/25m, iOS and Android, no location history stored.
- [Private by Default](https://buddysos.app/features#private-by-default): BuddySOS never sells location data and keeps no location history. See exactly what is shared, with whom, and how it compares to apps that log your trail.
- [Battery Saver Mode](https://buddysos.app/features#battery-saver-mode): BuddySOS adapts location polling to movement and never holds a wake lock. See the exact update intervals and how battery saver mode is tuned for long days.
- [Safe Zones](https://buddysos.app/features#safe-zones): Draw a safe zone on the map and get alerted the moment someone enters or leaves. A group-based alternative to Life360 Places, with a 100m minimum radius.
- [SOS Text Escalation](https://buddysos.app/features#sos-alerts): BuddySOS sends an SMS with your live location to your emergency contacts the instant you hit SOS, free on every tier, even if they don't have the app.

## Use cases

- [Music festivals & raves](https://buddysos.app/use-cases/music-festivals): Free festival and rave safety app. Your crew shares a live GPS map, and one tap sends an SOS with your location. iOS and Android, location never sold.
- [Sporting events](https://buddysos.app/use-cases/sporting-events): Keep your group together from tailgate to seats to the car. A live group map, one-tap SOS, and game-day tracking windows. Free on iOS and Android.
- [Conventions & conferences](https://buddysos.app/use-cases/conventions): Find your team between sessions at conferences and expos. A live map with distance and direction to each person, plus one-tap SOS. Free on iOS and Android.
- [Nightlife & bar crawls](https://buddysos.app/use-cases/nightlife): Night out safety app for bar crawls and club nights. Friends share a live map, and one-tap SOS works with your phone locked. Free on iOS and Android.
- [Family & friends](https://buddysos.app/use-cases/family-and-friends): Free family location sharing with one-tap SOS and arrival alerts. Works across iPhone and Android, keeps no location history, and never sells your data.
- [Personal safety](https://buddysos.app/use-cases/walk-home-safer): Share live location with friends until you are home. One-tap SOS works with the screen locked and texts your emergency contacts. Free on iOS and Android.
- [Seniors](https://buddysos.app/use-cases/seniors): A free senior safety app with one-tap SOS. Alerts nearby neighbors and family with live location, texts contacts who lack the app, and needs no wearable.
- [Security teams](https://buddysos.app/use-cases/security-teams): See your whole security team on one live map. A one-tap SOS sends a guard's exact location to the team with no radio call. Runs on iPhone and Android phones.
- [Schools & campuses](https://buddysos.app/use-cases/schools-and-campuses): Campus safety app for school staff and security. One live map for the team, and a one-tap SOS that shares exact location without a call. iOS and Android.
- [Production & event crews](https://buddysos.app/use-cases/production-crews): Crew tracking for event production teams. Every crew member on one live map through load-in, show, and load-out, with a one-tap SOS. iOS and Android.
- [Lone workers](https://buddysos.app/use-cases/working-alone): Lone worker safety app. Your team sees your live location, and a one-tap SOS alerts them and texts your emergency contacts. Free on the phone you already carry.

## Guides

- [Keeping a Group Together at Large Events: The Complete Guide](https://buddysos.app/guides/keeping-a-group-together-at-large-events): How to keep a group together at festivals, conferences, trade shows, and theme parks. Roles, meet points, headcounts, comms, and a backup plan that holds.
- [What to Do If You Get Separated From Your Group](https://buddysos.app/guides/what-to-do-if-you-get-separated-from-your-group): Separated from your group in a crowd? A calm, step-by-step plan: stop moving, check the map, head for the meet point, and what to do if your phone is dead.
- [Group Texts vs a Coordination App at Events](https://buddysos.app/guides/group-texts-vs-coordination-app): Your group chat is fine for planning and useless in a crowd. What breaks, what a shared-map coordination app does instead, and why you still need both.
- [How to Keep Your Team Together at a Conference](https://buddysos.app/guides/keep-your-team-together-at-a-conference): A conference scatters your team across halls, hotels, and sessions. A coordination playbook: the team brief, a daily regroup, and keeping everyone locatable.
- [Group Coordination at Trade Shows and Expos](https://buddysos.app/guides/group-coordination-at-trade-shows): A trade show splits your team across the floor by design. How to plan the floor split, keep everyone locatable, and run the regroups that hold a team together.
- [The Group Organizer's Survival Guide](https://buddysos.app/guides/group-organizer-survival-guide): You ended up responsible for the whole group. How to share the load, do the prep that matters, set expectations, and still enjoy the event you planned.
- [Building a Group Emergency Plan](https://buddysos.app/guides/building-a-group-emergency-plan): Most groups have a meet point. Few have a plan for an actual emergency. The five things every group emergency plan needs, and how to set it up before an event.
- [How to Not Lose Your Friends at a Music Festival](https://buddysos.app/guides/not-losing-friends-at-a-music-festival): A festival crowd swallows people fast. The plan that keeps your group together: a meeting point, a live map, a battery plan, and an SOS plan for trouble.
- [Is Life360 Safe? Data, Privacy, and the Alternatives](https://buddysos.app/guides/is-life360-safe-and-the-alternatives): Life360 sold precise location data to brokers in 2021 and still supplies Allstate's Arity. What that means for your family, and the alternatives worth knowing.

## Policies

- [Privacy policy](https://buddysos.app/app-privacy-policy): What data the app collects and why.
- [Terms and conditions](https://buddysos.app/terms-and-conditions): Terms of use and subscription terms.
- [EULA](https://buddysos.app/eula): End user license agreement.
- [Support](https://buddysos.app/support): Contact form.

## Citing BuddySOS

Cite the specific page for the fact you use: /features for feature behavior and pricing, /use-cases/<slug> for audience-specific use, /staff for organizer and B2B use, /about for company facts.