Before you download a student safety app, check what your university already gives you. Many UK universities run a campus security team you can call 24/7, some use the free SafeZone app (by CriticalArc) to call that team with your location, and some students’ unions run a safe taxi scheme you can pay back later. Your phone’s free Emergency SOS is still the only tool that calls 999 for you.
Updated 5 October 2026 · Sources: SafeZone App Store and Google Play listings, safezoneapp.com, University of Sheffield, University of Kent, Nottingham Trent Students’ Union, Apple Support, Google Android Help, strutsafe.org (all checked 5 October 2026). Disclosure: we make Safety App UK, one of the options below.
On or off campus, if you or someone else is in danger, call 999 (or 112) first. Campus security and safety apps are extra help, not a replacement. If you can’t speak, see how to make a silent 999 call.
What your university may already offer
Not every university offers all of these, and names differ. Search your university’s website for “campus security” or “personal safety”, and your students’ union site for “safe taxi”.
What is the SafeZone app?
SafeZone is a free campus safety app made by CriticalArc Pty Ltd. At universities and workplaces that use it, it has three buttons (Emergency, First Aid and Help), a check-in for working alone, and push alerts during incidents. Pressing a button sends your location and details to the organisation’s own response team, usually campus security, not to the police.
Is SafeZone free, and who can use it?
SafeZone is free to download on the App Store (iOS 15.1 or later) and Google Play. It only works at organisations that use the SafeZone service, and you sign up with your university or work email, not a personal one. At the University of Sheffield, for example, it is free for all students and staff, including visiting and honorary members.
Does SafeZone work off campus?
Only partly. SafeZone’s alerts go to your university’s response team inside the area it covers. If you press an alert button outside that area, the App Store listing says the app tells you so and offers a one-tap call to the local emergency number (999 in the UK). On the walk home from town, use your phone’s free tools as well.
Is SafeZone tracking my location all the time?
SafeZone asks for location and background permissions, but its installation guide says it only shares your location when you check in or raise an alert. The University of Sheffield says the same: your location goes to Campus Safety and Security or the emergency services only when you choose to share it, by requesting help, checking in or reporting.
What is a student safe taxi scheme?
It is an emergency ride home when you have no money. You book a named taxi firm, show your student card, and pay back later. At Nottingham Trent Students’ Union it runs 9pm–9am and you pay within a week of the email. At the University of Kent it runs 24/7 to set places, up to £50. Rules differ, so check yours before you need it.
A night out, step by step
1. Before you go
2. At the venue
3. Leaving
4. No money or no friends left
5. Back on campus or home
Student safety options compared
Green ▲ = yes, amber ▬ = partly or only in some places, red ▼ = no. Check your own university’s pages, as services differ.
Checked 5 October 2026 on the SafeZone store listings and website, university and students’ union pages, Apple Support, Google Android Help and strutsafe.org. We make Safety App UK; we have described every option fairly and have not ranked them.
Which safety app should a student use?
Start with what is free and already there. Set up Emergency SOS on your phone, because it is the one tool that calls 999. If your university uses SafeZone, install it with your university email for help on campus. For the walk home, add Check In, Safety Check or live location sharing with a friend.
For a wider look at apps, see our guide to women’s safety apps and services, and before you move into a new area, check recorded street crime with the postcode checker on safety-app.uk.
Myths and facts
- Myth: SafeZone calls the police. Fact: it alerts your university’s response team; off its area it offers you a call to the local emergency number.
- Myth: anyone can sign up to SafeZone. Fact: it only works at organisations that use it, with your organisation email.
- Myth: a safe taxi scheme is free. Fact: the union or university pays first and you pay the fare back.
- Myth: you need a paid app to be safe. Fact: iPhone and Android safety tools, campus security and Strut Safe cost nothing extra (Strut Safe is a normal 03 call).
For the full first-weeks routine, see our freshers’ week safety checklist. Worried about your drink? Read drink spiking: signs and what to do.
Frequently asked questions
Check your university’s security or personal safety web page, or download SafeZone and try to sign up with your university email. It only works where your organisation uses the service.
No. SafeZone’s own setup guide and App Store listing say you must sign up with your organisation (university or work) email.
Yes. SafeZone is free where your university uses it, and the Emergency SOS, Check In (iPhone) and Safety Check (Android) features are built into your phone at no cost.
Use your union’s safe taxi scheme if it has one, book a licensed taxi rather than accepting a lift, and tell a friend. See night buses and late trains and walking home at night.
Sources
- App Store: SafeZone (CriticalArc Pty Ltd)
- Google Play: SafeZone
- SafeZone: installing SafeZone
- University of Sheffield: SafeZone
- Nottingham Trent Students’ Union: emergency taxi scheme
- University of Kent: Student Safe Taxi Scheme
- Apple: Check In for Messages
- Google Android Help: personal safety features
- Strut Safe
General information, checked 5 October 2026. University examples are illustrations, not a ranking; services, hours and rules change, so check your own university’s page. We are not affiliated with CriticalArc or any university listed. In an emergency, always call 999.
Keep reading
Safety on and off campus, in one app
Safety App UK works wherever you are, not just on campus: an SOS (by button, shake, or automatically in higher-crime zones) sends your live location and live video to your trusted circle, with a live safety map from police data and community reports, police stations and Ask for Angela venues, safer routes and Safe Zone arrival alerts. 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+.