A one-tap panic alert for when you're in danger, not just when your phone is gone
This isn't something that happens automatically after a phone is stolen — it's a button you press yourself, while you still have the phone, in the moment something is actively going wrong. Here's exactly how it's triggered and what fires when you do.
Setup: add contacts first, from the dashboard
Before anything else, go to "Emergency contacts" in your dashboard and add the people who should be alerted — a name, phone number, and email each. This has to be done ahead of time; there's no way to add a contact from a phone you no longer have in a real emergency.
How you actually trigger it
Long-press the DevTrac app icon on your phone's home screen — a "Panic" shortcut appears alongside the normal app options. Tapping it launches the alert directly, without opening the main app first, so it works even if the phone is locked or you only have a second to act.
What fires the instant you tap it
Your phone calls and texts your priority emergency contact directly over its own SIM — this doesn't wait on an internet connection, since it's the most time-critical part. In parallel, DevTrac's servers log the event and email every emergency contact with your last known location and, separately, the location from your last routine check-in before that — two data points instead of one, so whoever reads it can tell whether you've moved since. Each contact also gets a one-tap WhatsApp link pre-filled with the same message, as a backup channel you can send manually.
How to confirm your contacts will actually receive it
There's no test-fire button for the panic trigger itself, deliberately — but you can confirm the setup side: check that each emergency contact has both a phone number and an email saved under "Emergency contacts," since the SMS/call path needs the number and the email fallback needs the address.
This is separate from device recovery
Locking, wiping, and tracking are about protecting the phone and your data after it's gone. The panic alert is about your physical safety in the moment — related features, but they solve different problems, and you may need one without the other.
Start protecting a device in under five minutes — free 7-day trial, no card required.
Create free account
