Can an app really find the safest way home? Not on its own. In 2026, ordinary walking directions such as Google Maps pick routes by time and distance, and Google’s help page doesn’t mention lighting or crime. Safe route apps in the UK mostly add police.uk crime data, which is published monthly and placed at approximate map points, not exact addresses. Use a safe route app as one input, together with lit, busy streets and someone who knows you’re on your way.
Updated 2 November 2026 · Sources: data.police.uk, StreetSafe on police.uk, Google Maps Help, Apple Support, Google Android Help, walksafe.io and GOV.UK, checked 2 November 2026. We make Safety App UK, one of the options in the table below.
If you feel threatened on the way home, don’t keep walking to finish the route. Go into the nearest open shop, bar, station or hotel and call 999. If you can’t talk, see how to make a silent 999 call.
How a safer route is worked out: 5 steps
1. Start with the map route
2. Check what has been reported
3. Add what you can see
4. Mark your safe stops
5. Tell someone you’re walking
Steps drawn from Google Maps Help, data.police.uk, Apple Support and Google Android Help, checked 2 November 2026.
What is a safe route app?
A safe route app is a phone app that tries to steer you along a safer walking route rather than just the quickest one, usually by adding crime data, community reports or safe places to a map. In the UK most use police.uk crime data, which is approximate and monthly. Treat its suggestion as one input, not a guarantee.
Does Google Maps show the safest walking route?
No. Google Maps gives step-by-step walking directions and, when there are several routes, shows the best one in blue and the others in grey with their times. Its help page on directions doesn’t mention lighting or crime; it only asks you to stay aware of your surroundings. Choosing a safer route is still up to you.
What crime data can a route app use in the UK?
Mostly street-level data from police.uk, published monthly for England, Wales and Northern Ireland by the 43 local forces, British Transport Police and the Police Service of Northern Ireland. Each crime shows the month, not the date, and is moved to the nearest anonymous map point. Scotland is not included. You can look up a place on our sister site’s UK crime map.
Why can’t a crime map pick the safest street for you?
Police.uk explains how its locations are blurred, which matters when an app turns them into a route:
- Approximate points: each crime is snapped to the nearest map point over a street, public place or business, and each point must cover at least eight postal addresses (or none).
- Month only: records show the month, not the day or time, so you can’t tell if a street is risky at night.
- Accuracy varies: police.uk estimates location accuracy at 60% to 97% depending on the force.
- Reported crime only: it lists crimes and anti-social behaviour recorded by the police, not everything that happens.
For a wider picture of timing, see when crime is most likely by hour, day and season, and our guide to checking crime in your area.
Can an app really find the safest way home?
No app can guarantee the safest way home, because a route app only knows what is in its data. In the UK that is usually police-recorded crime (monthly, at approximate points, England, Wales and Northern Ireland only), user reports such as poor lighting (only where someone has added one) and mapped safe places. Nothing in any dataset shows tonight’s lighting, crowds or a shop that has just closed. So a safe route app is best for spotting patterns before you set off, not for picking one street over another on the night.
The table compares the three kinds of data safe route apps use, and the cards below show what each one can and can’t tell you.
Source: data.police.uk “About the data” and walksafe.io feature page, both checked 2 November 2026. The “what it misses” column is our own analysis.
Can an app tell if a street is well lit?
Not from police data, which records crimes, not street lights. Some apps rely on users: WalkSafe+ lets people share local concerns such as poor lighting on its map. You can also report a poorly lit alleyway or a place where you feel unsafe to the police anonymously through StreetSafe on police.uk. StreetSafe is not for reporting crimes; in an emergency call 999.
Which tools help you plan and share a walk home?
Green ▲ = yes, amber ▬ = partly, red ▼ = no. We make Safety App UK and have not ranked the options.
Checked 2 November 2026 on Google Maps Help, data.police.uk, StreetSafe on police.uk, Apple Support, Google Android Help and walksafe.io. Safety App UK is Android only (on Google Play), costs £2.99 a month or £29.99 a year after a 7-day free trial and is for ages 16+. Features change; check each app’s own page.
How do I share my walk home with someone?
Use what is already on your phone. iPhone Check In in Messages tells a trusted contact when you arrive, and if there’s an unexpected delay and you don’t respond it shares your location, battery and signal. Android’s Safety Check gives you a 60-second alert, then shares your real-time location with your emergency contacts. More options: sharing your live location.
Safe routes: myths and facts
Do I need a different route home now the clocks have gone back?
Possibly, if you have only walked it in daylight. GOV.UK confirms the clocks went back at 2am on Sunday 25 October 2026 and go forward again at 1am on Sunday 28 March 2027, so walks home after work or school are in the dark until spring. Walk a new route once before relying on it after dark, and see our walking home at night checklist and when crime is most likely.
What if my route suddenly feels wrong?
Change the plan. Cross the road, head for lights and people, and step into an open shop or venue. If someone seems to be following you, read what to do if you think you’re being followed. In bars, you can Ask for Angela. If you’re in danger, call 999.
Frequently asked questions
Not on its own. In 2026, UK safe route apps mostly rely on police.uk crime data, which is monthly and placed at approximate points, plus user reports. An app can show patterns before you set off, but lit, busy streets and someone who knows you’re walking matter just as much.
Some apps, including ours, suggest safer routes using police data and community reports. None can guarantee safety, because UK crime data is approximate and monthly. Use the suggestion together with lit, busy streets and journey sharing.
It is published monthly, and each file covers the previous month. Crimes show the month only, not the day or time. Scotland is not included.
Yes. Our sister site has a free address check and a UK crime map. Remember the locations are approximate.
Call a friend, or a volunteer line such as Strut Safe on the nights it runs. For options in one place, see women’s safety apps and services.
Sources
- data.police.uk: about the data (anonymisation, coverage, accuracy)
- police.uk: StreetSafe
- West Yorkshire Police: StreetSafe, tell us where you don’t feel safe
- Google Maps Help: get directions and show routes
- Apple Support: share your location with friends and family (Check In)
- Google Android Help: Safety Check and emergency sharing
- WalkSafe+: features
- GOV.UK: when do the clocks change
General information, checked 2 November 2026. App features change with updates; check each app’s own page. In an emergency, always call 999.
Keep reading
Plan a safer route, and let someone walk with you
Safety App UK has a live safety map built on official police data and community reports, with police stations, Ask for Angela venues and safer routes. It shares your live location and live video with a trusted circle, sends Safe Zone arrival and leave alerts, and gives you an SOS by button, shake, or automatically in higher-crime zones. It does not call the emergency services, so in an emergency always dial 999. Android only, on Google Play: free for 7 days, then £2.99 a month or £29.99 a year; cancel any time in Google Play. For ages 16+.