Using SoSecure is like calling a friend when you’re walking home alone at night—except your friend is an ADT security professional trained to help you through a potentially dangerous situation. Swipe the SOS slider on the app (a basic version is free; for $4.99 or $9.99 a month, subscribers can access other features including voice activation) to connect with a live operator, who can dispatch police if requested or simply stay on the line until you’ve made it home safely. Your GPS coordinates and pre-selected identifying information (gender, skin tone, hair color) are automatically transmitted, and call recordings can be requested by law enforcement should a crime be committed. There are also features to discreetly send SMS messages or initiate a muted video connection, should a voice call not be possible. These features earned the security-award-winning app praise from a slew of elected officials amid a pandemic spike in domestic violence. —Alison Van Houten
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