Raretell

The app you almost never open.

There's nothing to do each morning. Raretell watches for the everyday signs that you're fine, and only asks you to tap a button when it hasn't seen any for a while.

Coming soon to the App Store.

iPhone · United States

How it works

Most days you won't open it.

It watches for ordinary activity

Steps, charging your phone, opening the app. Each one tells Raretell you're up and about. On a normal day it says nothing.

If it hears nothing, it asks you

If your phone goes quiet for longer than the time you set, you get a notification asking if you're OK. One tap answers it.

If you don't answer, it tells your people

It emails the people you picked, in the order you set. On ordinary days nobody hears anything, though they can check your status whenever they like.

What your people see

Your people can check one thing: whether Raretell has seen a recent sign of life from you. They don't see where you are, your steps, or when you last used your phone.

If they worry about you, they can look instead of calling.

If an alert goes out and you've turned on location sharing, the email includes where your phone last reached Raretell, so they know where to start looking. Your location isn't shared at any other time.

It helps both sides

If you're the one who worries

You want to know they're OK without calling every day. You can check their status yourself, and if they've made you an emergency contact, you'll get an email if they go quiet.

If you're the one they worry about

Your mom wants a good-morning text. Raretell lets her see you're fine without one.

What it can't do

If you go quiet for longer than the time you set (a day, unless you change it), Raretell tells the people you picked. It isn't a medical alert and won't send help in minutes. It depends on your phone, the network and email, so an alert can arrive late or not at all. It's a backup, not a guarantee.

In an emergency, call 911.