Why SafeMigo uses location in the background
SafeMigo collects location data to enable Watch Zone arrive and leave alerts, Check On Me timers, Safe Trip, SOS, crash and fall alerts, and live location sharing that you turn on, even when the app is closed or not in use. Without background (“All the time” or “Always”) access, these features only work while SafeMigo is open on screen.
When location is used
| Feature | What is used | Who sees it |
|---|---|---|
| Watch Zones | Location checks to detect arriving at and leaving your zones | The people you choose for each zone get arrive/leave alerts |
| Zone Check-ins | Whether you are still at a zone | Your chosen contacts, if you don’t respond |
| Check On Me timer | Location while a timer is running | Your contacts, only if the timer runs out unanswered |
| SOS, crash and fall alerts, Safe Code | Live location | Your chosen contacts and circle members who get your alerts |
| Safe Trip and live sharing | Live location during the trip or share | The people you share with, until it ends |
| Circle map (Pro) | A rounded, approximate location, refreshed when you move or about every 15 minutes | Only the circles where you turned sharing on |
| Area Safety Grade | The area you are in or looking at | Only you; coordinates are sent from our servers to data providers without your identity |
Android-specific notes
- While monitoring is active, Android shows an ongoing SafeMigo notification. This is required by Android for apps that use location in the background.
- If you allow physical-activity access, SafeMigo uses walking, driving and still transitions only to restart location updates for your zones. It does not read fitness data.
- If location updates stop arriving, our servers may send a silent wake-up message so the app can refresh your location for zone safety. It is not an ad and does not show a notification.
How to control it
- Turn zone monitoring, live sharing and circle map sharing on or off in the app.
- Change location access in your phone’s settings at any time (Settings → Apps → SafeMigo → Location on Android; Settings → SafeMigo → Location on iPhone).
- Remove contacts or leave circles to stop sharing with them.
What we never do with location
- We never sell location data.
- We never use location for advertising.
- We never share it with anyone you haven’t chosen, except service providers who run SafeMigo for us or where the law requires it.
Full details are in the Privacy Policy.