Wired

The Best Personal Safety Devices, Apps, and Alarms.

Read the full article at wired.com.

”I’ve tested five safety-specific wearables over the last few years, and the Flare bracelet stood out. For one, it actually looks like a bracelet, not a tracking device. The $129 Flare comes in a beaded or cuffed design, with a few different options for metal finishes. Its design hides an SOS button that you'd really have to be searching for to find—whoever you're trying to get away from won't know you've set anything off. Press the button once if you’d like to receive a fake phone call, the type of which you determine in the app, like a roommate who needs you or a partner checking in. It comes from a real number that the app prompts you to save in your contacts, adding a fake name that gets displayed when the phone rings.

That’s helpful if someone is simply being a nuisance. But when you’re in a dangerous situation where a fake call isn’t enough, you can hold down the Flare button to send a message and your location to your selected contacts. Flare has also established a partnership with Noonlight, so you can set up the Flare device (through the app) to call 911 when you hold the button down. You'll get a text and call immediately, and if you can't answer, your location is shared with first responders in your area. If you set it off accidentally, the operator will ask for personal identifiers like the spelling of your last name and phone number, so they know it's really you.

Flare is currently available only for iPhone users; an Android version is in the works, but the company hasn’t said when it will be available. The battery isn't rechargeable, which the company says was an intentional design choice to avoid any frustration with having to constantly recharge the thing. But the bracelet is guaranteed to last one year, and depending on usage could last as long as two years. After that, you'll have to purchase an entirely new bracelet at a $40 discount.”