DEAD MAN SWITCH APP

If you stop answering, the people you chose are told.

NAVTRL's dead-man switch is the repeating mode of its safety timer, built for solo activity and for working alone. Arm it before you head out and it keeps asking you to confirm you're OK. Stop answering and it escalates to your Crew and the recipients you selected, carrying your last known location and the time that position was recorded.

Quick Answer

A dead man switch app raises an alarm if you stop responding. In NAVTRL it is not a separate product but a mode of the safety timer: a check-in is a one-time prompt, and the dead-man switch repeats on the interval you set, so a long shift or a long day out keeps asking. Miss a prompt and our servers escalate for you — push notifications and email to your Crew and your chosen recipients, carrying your last known location and the time — so somebody knows to come looking even if you cannot reach your phone. It sends push and email, not SMS, and it does not contact emergency services.

Page Map

It's a mode of the safety timer, not a separate productHow the dead-man switch worksThe escalation path, stated plainlySolo activity and working aloneAn honest safety toolArming it does not turn on tracking

It's a mode of the safety timer, not a separate product

STALKR has one safety timer with two modes, which is why you will not find a separate dead-man feature to buy or set up. A check-in timer prompts you once before a deadline you set. The dead-man switch repeats that prompt on an interval and keeps repeating it until you stand it down.

Everything downstream is shared: the same recipients, the same escalation, the same record. Choosing the mode is choosing whether you need one deadline or a running one.

How the dead-man switch works

You stay in control right up to the moment you can't — then the timer takes over.

  • Open Settings → Safety & Alerts and choose the dead-man mode.
  • Set the interval — 15, 30, 60 minutes, or custom — and choose your recipients.
  • Arm it. Recipients are recorded at that moment, so a later change to the Crew roster cannot quietly change who was promised.
  • NAVTRL prompts you to confirm you're OK. Confirm and the timer resets for the next interval.
  • Miss a prompt and it escalates without any further action from you.
  • Stand it down from the Safety Center whenever the reason for arming it is over.

The escalation path, stated plainly

Escalation is decided and sent server-side rather than by your phone, because a phone that has gone quiet is exactly the case the feature exists for.

  • Your Crew receives a push notification and a Crew activity event.
  • The recipients you selected receive a push notification and an email.
  • Both carry your last known location and the time that position was recorded — "no position since 21:14" is something a person can act on.
  • The event lands in the in-app notification history of everyone it reached, and stays there after the banner is gone.
  • It stops there, with people. It does not send SMS, and it does not contact emergency services or any monitoring centre.

Solo activity and working alone

The reason to arm one is always the same — nobody is beside you to notice — and that covers more people than the outdoor case alone.

  • Solo hunters, anglers, hikers, and backcountry travellers.
  • Working alone: guides and outfitters, survey and forestry crews, ranch and agriculture staff, utility subcontractors on a night call-out.
  • Owner-operators of small field crews who split up during the day and want the crew told when one of them goes silent.
  • Solo overlanders, off-roaders, and anyone driving a long empty stretch.
  • Anyone heading somewhere remote alone, for an hour or for a shift.

An honest safety tool

A dead-man switch is a powerful backstop, and it is not a guarantee. Escalation runs on our servers and needs connectivity plus working push or email delivery to reach anyone; your device, battery, and signal all sit in that path.

Background execution on iOS is never guaranteed: force-quitting the app stops ordinary background work, the OS can suspend execution, and our background location work is implemented and still under validation on physical devices.

There is also no man-down or fall detection here — nothing senses an impact or a lack of movement and fires on your behalf. The switch is armed by you and answered by you, and a missed answer is what it acts on. There is no monitoring centre, no configurable escalation policy, and no compliance reporting. Carry appropriate backup such as a satellite communicator for true emergencies.

Arming it does not turn on tracking

A dead-man switch and location sharing are separate decisions. Arming the timer does not make you Live in a Crew, and being Live in a Crew does not arm a timer. If you are Dark, you stay Dark — the escalation publishes the last position you had already authorised, to the people you had already chosen, and changes nothing else about who can see you.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a dead man switch app?

An app that raises an alert if you stop responding. NAVTRL escalates a missed prompt to your Crew and the recipients you selected, with your last known location and the time it was recorded.

Is the dead-man switch a separate feature from check-ins?

No — it is the repeating mode of the same safety timer. A check-in prompts once before a deadline; the dead-man switch repeats on the interval you set until you stand it down. Recipients, escalation, and history are identical in both modes.

What happens if I don't check in?

When the interval expires without your confirmation, the timer is marked escalated and sends push notifications and email to your Crew and your chosen recipients with your last known location and the time. It does not send SMS and it does not contact emergency services.

Does it work if my app is closed?

Prompts are scheduled locally and escalation is handled server-side rather than by your phone, so a missed prompt does not depend on the app being open. What the OS does with a backgrounded app is not ours to promise: force-quitting the app, OS scheduling, and a lost connection can all delay or prevent an alert. For true emergencies, always carry a dedicated device.

Does NAVTRL have man-down or fall detection?

No. Nothing in the app senses an impact, a fall, or a lack of movement and fires on your behalf. A dead-man switch is answered deliberately, and it is the missing answer that escalates — which is a different guarantee, and a weaker one for an unconscious person. If your work requires man-down sensing, use equipment built for it.

Can I use it for lone work?

Yes, and the repeating mode is the one built for it. It covers the lone worker job of an interval, an acknowledgement, and an escalation to named people. It is not a monitored lone worker service: there is no monitoring centre, no supervisor dashboard, and no compliance export.

Can I cancel it?

Yes — confirm you're OK to reset the interval, or stand it down at any time from the Safety Center. Standing it down notifies nobody.

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