Safe route apps: can an app really find the safest way home? (UK)

Posted on by Safety App UK team

No app can promise the safest way home. Ordinary walking directions, such as Google Maps, pick routes by distance and time, and Google’s help page doesn’t mention lighting or crime. Safety apps that add crime data mostly use police.uk records, which are published monthly and placed at approximate points, not exact addresses. A safer route combines that data with what you can see on the night and someone who knows you’re on your way.

Updated 13 October 2026 · Sources: data.police.uk, police.uk StreetSafe, Google Maps Help, Apple Support, Google Android Help, walksafe.io and GOV.UK, checked 13 October 2026. We make Safety App UK, one of the options in the table below.

In danger now? Call 999

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

Put your destination into Google Maps or Apple Maps and choose walking. Google shows the suggested route in blue and other routes in grey, with a time for each.

2. Check what has been reported

Look up the area on a crime map. Police.uk data covers England, Wales and Northern Ireland, is updated monthly and shows approximate locations, so treat it as a pattern, not a street-by-street warning.

3. Add what you can see

Data can’t show which streets are lit, busy or blocked tonight. Prefer main roads with lights, open shops and other people, even if they add a few minutes.

4. Mark your safe stops

Note places you could step into on the way: late shops, stations, hotels and venues that run Ask for Angela.

5. Tell someone you’re walking

Share your journey with iPhone Check In, Android Safety Check or a walk-home app, so someone is alerted if you don’t arrive.

Steps drawn from Google Maps Help, data.police.uk, Apple Support and Google Android Help, checked 13 October 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 crime maps can’t pick a 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.

What a route app can and can’t know

Reported crime

Can know: police.uk crimes by month at approximate points. Can’t know: the exact spot or time.

Lighting and crowds

Usually can’t know: police data has no lighting field. Some apps let users flag poor lighting.

Safe places

Can know: venues some apps map, such as Ask for Angela or Best Bar None venues. Check they’re open.

You, tonight

Only you know: roadworks, a closed shop, a group you’d rather avoid. Trust that over the app.

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 13 October 2026 on Google Maps Help, data.police.uk, police.uk StreetSafe, Apple Support, Google Android Help and walksafe.io. Safety App UK costs £2.99 a month 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

Myth: “The app’s route is safe”

Fact: it’s only as good as its data, and police.uk locations are approximate and monthly.

Myth: “No crimes on the map = safe”

Fact: the map shows recorded crime only, at the nearest map point, not every incident.

Myth: “The shortest way is safest”

Fact: a lit, busy main road with open shops can be worth a few extra minutes.

Myth: “An app will call 999 for me”

Fact: walk-home apps such as WalkSafe+ and ours alert friends, not the police. Call 999 yourself.

Plan for darker evenings: the clocks go back on 25 October 2026

GOV.UK confirms the clocks go back at 2am on Sunday 25 October 2026, so walks home from work or school get darker from the next day. Re-check any route you’ve only walked in daylight, and see our walking home at night checklist.

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

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

General information, checked 13 October 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 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. Free for 7 days, then £2.99 a month. For ages 16+.

Try Safety App UK free

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