With Qustodio, you can set up a Panic Button on Android mobile phones protected by your account. When this option is enabled, children can quickly send emergency alerts with location information from their smartphones to a list of trusted contacts.
Additionally, when their Android device is completely blocked, they will still be able to call their trusted contacts and the emergency number.
Important: Qustodio cannot be used to replace any service provided by police, ambulance, or fire department. Qustodio will not contact any emergency services on your behalf.
What you will find in this article:
- How to set up the Panic Button feature
- What happens when I add a new trusted contact?
- What happens when the Panic Mode is activated?
- How my child can use the Panic Button
- How to completely deactivate the Panic Button feature
- Troubleshooting
How to set up the Panic Button feature
It is important to note that when you install Qustodio on an Android device, the Panic Button is turned off by default.
To activate the Panic Button, follow these steps:
- Open the Parents App or visit family.qustodio.com and log in.
- Go into your child’s profile and choose Rules > Panic Button. Switch the “Enable Panic Button” toggle to the right.
- By default, as the main account holder, you will be automatically added as a “Trusted Contact” for this child.
- You can easily add other contacts (phone or email) by clicking on the “Invite trusted contact” button and follow the instructions provided.
- We recommend sending a first alert from your child's phone. This way, you can choose which Messages app will be used by default and ensure this authorization isn't requested again when your child triggers an alert in the future.
What happens when I add a new trusted contact?
When you add a new trusted contact, that contact will receive either an email or an SMS message on your behalf, asking them to confirm that they are willing to be a trusted contact for your Qustodio account. Once a trusted contact is added for one Qustodio profile, they won’t have to confirm again for you to add them to another profile.
What happens when the Panic Mode is activated?
Once the Panic Mode is activated, all of the child’s trusted contacts will receive a 'Child needs help!' message via email or SMS, along with a link to a page showing the child’s most recent location.
That link will remain active until the child cancels Panic Mode. The location will be updated every 90 seconds as long as it is available.
In the Qustodio web and Parents App, location updates will also be reported during the Panic Mode.
You may not see the location when you first open the link, but it will be updated as soon as Qustodio confirms the device's location.
How my child can use the Panic Button
How to send an SOS alert
Once you’ve enabled the Panic Button from your Parents App, your child will see an SOS button in their Kids App home screen. If their device is blocked, they’ll see the Panic button on the lock screen.
When your child feels unsafe or wants to share their immediate location as a precaution, they should tap on this button and then tap on the "SOS bubble".
A simple tap on the ‘SOS bubble’ will send an alert to all trusted contacts with location information, via email or SMS depending on your settings.
If you've added mobile numbers to the list the Messages app may ask for a confirmation to send the emergency SMS.
Note that these SMS messages may have a cost depending on your carrier.
How to stop the SOS alert
Note that Panic Mode will remain active until your child taps the SOS bubble a second time. A pop-up message will then appear to confirm whether Panic Mode should be turned off. If they proceed, you’ll receive another notification with a link to the last known location, letting you know the alert has been canceled.
Call a trusted contact
Depending on the lock option you chose for your child’s Android device, they might be able to use the Phone app to contact anyone or to reach only trusted contacts added to the Panic button.
You can find more information about these differences here: What do Lock Navigation and Lock Device mean for time limits on each platform?
When using the ‘Lock Device’ option, your child will still be able to call the trusted contacts by:
- Tapping on the Emergency calls button
- Selecting the contact they wish to call.
How to completely deactivate the Panic Button feature
To deactivate this feature, you can simply log into family.qustodio.com, go into your child’s profile, choose Rules > Panic Button, and turn off the switch.
Troubleshooting
If you encounter any issues when adding a new trusted contact and they don’t receive the confirmation SMS, please follow these steps:
- Ensure the trusted contact’s phone can receive SMS messages. If not, try using the SIM card in a different phone.
- If the contact has two SIM cards (e.g., eSIM), make sure you add the phone number where they can receive messages.
- Remove the contact from the Parents App > Panic Button > Trusted Contacts list, then add it again.
If your child encounters any issues activating the SOS alert, or if you don’t receive the alert, please contact our support team as soon as possible.
Note this feature is only available to Premium users and is not available on iOS devices yet. This feature is not available for Android tablets without calling feature.